The Final Battle
by Lotus Sword
Summary: Creatures from myths, creatures from legends... They all exist. And when combined together, they can create a living being, so powerful that it can destroy everything. A certain group of teens will have to give their all in order to prevent the end of the world. Title sucks, summary sucks... Rated T at first, might change later. AU-fic, RanTaku with minor KyouTen.
1. Chapter 1

**Me: Hello minna! ^^ First of all, this will be yaoi, so if you don't like that, don't read this. It's also my first yaoi-fic ever, so maybe it's crappy as I-don't-know-what, but I don't care. Second, this is gonna be a RanTaku-**

**Kirino and Shindou: Say what now?!**

**Me: A RanTaku story. You know, Ranmaru... Takuto... Pairing...**

**Kirino and Shindou: *looks at each other, then back at me* EHH?**

**Tsurugi: Well, good luck you guys *snickers evilly*.**

**Me: And I'm planning for some KyouTen as well.**

**Tsurugi: Say what now?!**

**Me: Ugh, you guys should read more fanfictions about yourselves. This entire site is full of pairings like these.**

**Kirino, Tsurugi and Shindou: We know what it means... It's just *looks at each other, blushes***

**Me: No more objections? Great. But before we start I want to say something else. Neru Vearin, the start of this fanfic was inspired by your (awesome) story 'Kirino's Tail' (seriously, if anyone hasn't read that one yet, go check it out. It's awesome). After reading that, this story came in my head and after lots of doubts, I decided to write it down. There may be some similar things in this story (like Kirino being a merman)-**

**Kirino: WHAT?!**

**Me: a merman. Now shush, I am talking. Anyways, I have tried to create as much differences between our stories as possible and I think it worked out pretty well. It's quite different from yours, especially further in the story. However, if you feel like I've been copying your story, please PM me about it or leave a review, then I'll rewrite this thing. Deal? Great! Okay now, Kirino-kun, please do the disclaimer.**

**Kirino: I can't believe you made me a mermaid.**

**Me: A merman. Now do the disclaimer or I'll come up with something even worse.**

**Kirino: *eyes widen* Att-chan doesn't own the Inazuma Eleven/Go/Chrono Stone/Galaxy series, nor it's characters. *mutters* But apparently, she does have the right to change their species and love interests. *grumbles***

**Me: Enjoy minna! ^^**

* * *

Kirino Ranmaru, prince of the merfolk in the Sea of Japan, grumbled silently. He was seated left from his father and the other seat was taken by his father's main adviser. The three of them were listening to the presentation of one of the councillors, who was trying his best to convince his superiors. Of course, there was no way that Kirino would get a moment rest.

Not. Ever.

He sighed for the tenth time this morning and tried to focus on the meeting. His father, the king, noticed his stance and sent him a stern look. Kirino knew what that look meant: _Pay attention, boy, this is important. One day you'll be king and I want you to protect your subjects at all costs and blah blah blah..._ Kirino heard that speech thousands of times and he knew it by heart. He knew that he had to protect the merfolk in times of danger, he knew that he was gonna be a king one day... He just didn't see how discussing all morning whether the taxes should be raised by 0,03% or not could help the kingdom to get better.

Yes, it was a meeting about the taxes... Again. It was boring, time-consuming and - according to Kirino - absolutely pointless. While Kirino would much rather train with his sword or patrol along the borders, his father forced him to attend meetings like this one. Kirino admitted, training and patrolling were boring tasks too, but at least they served a goal.

He didn't like the old mermen in this room either. They always looked down on soldiers and Kirino knew that they only accepted him as their equal because he would be their ruler one day and when that day came, they wouldn't want to look bad for ignoring him in the past. It was the exact opposite for Kirino actually. He admired the soldiers and knights for their bravery and courage. After all, every time the kingdom got attacked or there was another catastrophe, the knights and soldiers would dive in to protect the people while the councillors would hide underneath their tables like the cowards they were.

The councillor had finished his presentation and the king bent over to his right to discuss with his advisor. Kirino just stared blankly ahead. The king wanted to hear Kirino's opinion as well, but he refrained from asking when he saw the distant look on his son's face. He sighed and turned to the councillor again, informing him that he would considder the proposed tax raise. The councillor bowed, thanked his lord adulatory and left the room.

"Ranmaru," the king sighed, and Kirino turned his gaze towards his father. "You should really pay more attention to meetings like these. It's important and one day you'll-"

"Yes, I know, father," Kirino sighed. Interrupting the king was considered a crime, but the king ignored it for today, as it was his own son that did the deed. "I know that I am to be king and that I have to protect the merfolk, but that's exactly why I wonder why I am here. How in the name of Poseidon can discussing about tax raises help me protect my kingdom, rather than practicing? Or patrolling? Or investigating?" The young merman let out a frustrated sigh as he sank deeper into his chair.

The king's eyes softened at the sight and he remembered how he was when he was younger. "You are really into your investigation, aren't you?" he laughed. A month or so ago, he had assigned Ranmaru with a test. The young prince had to learn more about the species that lived around them and the king thought that it would be a good idea to let the boy investigate on his own. Ranmaru was an eager merman when it came to new knowledge and he had happily agreed. He chose a subject - and a challenging one at that - and studied even in his spare time. "Well then, you are dismissed. Are you going to the surface again?"

"I am going to study the doubletailers again, yes indeed," Kirino replied as he swam towards the door.

"Remember, don't talk to them," the king smiled softly. "You know what they say, doubletailers hav-"

"Yes yes, I know, father," Kirino sighed, interrupting his father once more and thus commiting another crime without realising it. "I'm not a child anymore. _"Doubletailers have silver tongues that lure you into their webs of lies."_ Don't worry, I won't talk to them. I won't even show myself, or else I might influence my investigation."

"Alright then, take care," his father smiled, but Kirino was already gone. He went to his room and prepared himself for the journey. It would take just a few hours to get there, but it was worth it. Kirino found the doubletailers utmost interesting and liked to study them up close. At first, he had read every scroll about his subject in the local library (it once was only for royals, but his father's father had decided that the knowledge should be for every merman and -maid). However, there wasn't much known about the doubletailers that Kirino was investigating, so the young prince often went to the surface to study them up close. They looked a lot like merfolk, but they had two strange tails - hence the name that the merfolk gave to that species. The doubletailers didn't live in the water: they moved around on land while using both tails to support themselves. It was very interesting to see.

Kirino swam towards the surface and reached his destination within two hours. He hid behind a few rocks and prepared himself to raise his head above the water. That was the only thing Kirino hated about studying the doubletailers: he had to go above the water. It was not really a big problem, just an annoying detail. The thing was, merfolk could survive both underwater and on the surface, since they possessed two respiratory systems.

Since most of them never came to the surface, only one system was used: they breathed in water, which left their bodies via small openings in their necks, the gills. Though before it left their body, their respiratory system would take in the oxygen from the water. However, merfolk also had lungs that could assimilate large amounts of oxygen from the air. Merfolk that went up to the surface really often 'trained' their second respiratory system and had no trouble with switching between them. Kirino however had not often been there and his lungs weren't very experienced yet. Conclusion: every time he went to the surface, he felt like he was choking and often coughed until his throat was sore. But it was worth it.

Still hidden behind the rocks, Kirino raised himself and as expected, he started to cough immediately. He covered his mouth with his hands in order to muffle the sound. He had the feeling that it stopped sooner than usual, meaning that his lungs finally adjusted to breathing. When his breathing was normal again, he peeked around the rock to find doubletailers to study. But unfortunately, the beach he was looking at was deserted. His heart sunk a bit.

This couldn't be true, could it? Had he really swum for two hours to find a deserted beach? He checked it again, hoping that he was mistaken and would see one or two doubletailers. It was pointless: he was really the only living being around there. He sighed and turned around, about to return home again, when he saw something from the corner of his eye.

A movement. He stared at the place where he thought to see it, but he saw nothing. Then he remembered one of his lessons from the captain of the royal guard (all royal mermen had to take on at least two years of battle school before they were allowed to rule the kingdom). The captain of the guards was a true genius when it came to tactics for spotting hidden enemies. Don't stare at one point for too long, the merman had said, sometimes, the enemy wants you to look at one point so that he can surprise you. Scan your entire setting. That way, you have a greater chance of spotting movements.

Kirino nodded to himself and let his eyes float around the entire beach, the forest behind it, the cliff, the... Wait a minute! The cliff! If he squinted his eyes, he could see a careful movement. Something or someone was climbing down the cliff. It was clear that that someone didn't want to be spotted: he or she wore clothes in the same dark grey colour as the rock.

Kirino hesitated for a bit, but then he decided to discover what or who was climbing there. He sank into the water and swam towards the cliff as fast as possible, making sure that he swam deep enough so that whatever was up there wouldn't notice him. When he reached the foot of the cliff and looked up after hiding behind some rocks, he found that he couldn't see it anymore. Was it gone? Where did it go to?

His thoughts got interrupted when a second thing went down the cliff. At a certain height, this one disappeared as well. Kirino frowned. The creature seemed to become one with the cliff. And it was even harder to figure it out when they wore those clothes. He growled silently and swam backwards, his eyes not leaving the cliff for a second. There came a third creature climbing down. From this point, Kirino could see how small the thing was and that it used a rope do get down. Suddenly the creature stopped. Kirino saw that he was standing on a ledge before he disappeared.

His mind quickly figured out what it meant: it was a cave. The cliff was hollow - at least up to a certain point - and there was a cave inside. You could enter that through the small ledge. Now he was really curious, but there was no way that he would be able to get up there... He growled underwater. His curiosity was killing him.

Then he got an idea. Maybe, just maybe, there was an underwater passage to the cave in the cliff. The chances were slim and Kirino knew that, but he decided to take a look anyways. After all, there were no doubletailers around that he could study and if he returned home early, his father might drag him into another tax-related meeting. He shuddered at the thought and dived deeper, looking for a small opening in the rock.

And he found one, coincidentally. He had swum past it several times, but he only spotted it when he was about to give up. It was a shallow opening, but he managed to squeeze himself through it. After the first few feet, the tunnel he was swimming throug slowly got wider, until it was so wide that he was able to turn around. He smiled to himself. _If this turns out to be a dead end, I can always turn around,_ he thought. But it wasn't a dead end.

The tunnel ended in a small but deep lake, maybe sixteen feet in diameter at the surface and over 150 feet deep. Kirino could clearly hear soft voices, but the sound was deformed by the water, so he couldn't understand the words. A movement above him drew his attention and when he looked at it, he got the shock of his life. A merman's eyes were adjusted to dark surroundings and Kirino had no problem with making out the silhouette that was visible from here. It was probably one of the creatures he saw before, but Kirino was shocked when he recognised what the creature was.

A doubletailer.

* * *

**So yeah, that's the first chapter of The Final Battle. Please leave a review with what you thought about it. Please note, Kirino is a merman and has only been to the surface for a few times. There are some things from the human world that he doesn't know yet. Like that humans call themselves 'humans' and not 'doubletailers'. I think that that was quite obvious, but I still like to point it out.**

**Kirino and Shindou: Well, not much happened between us in here... thank goodness.**

**Me: Don't worry, I'll start with that as soon as possible. And further in the story, there will also be some KyouTen, although I mainly focus on RanTaku. Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Me: Boo! Here I am again. This time, it's Shindou's perspective. Just so you know, he's a human ;)**

**Kirino: No fair *pouts***

**Me: Shush. Can you stop about that, please? You make me feel guilty.**

**Kirino: Good.**

**Kariya: Okay, what's going on here?**

**Me: Kirino is pissed because I'm writing a RanTaku fic with him as a merman.**

**Kariya: ... Kirino-senpai with Shindou-san? Pffthh! *starts laughing***

**Kirino: *growls* Kariya!**

**Kariya: Come on, senpai, it's funny! *keeps on laughing***

**Kirino: No, it's not.**

**Me: Kariya, stop laughing, you're mean. By the way, you're in the story too.**

**Kariya: *stops laughing* What?! Wait, what are you going to do with me?**

**Me: *innocent smile* nothing. If you behave, that is.**

**Kariya: Eh? O-of course. E-enjoy the story, minna! And Att-chan doesn't own Inazuma Eleven.**

* * *

Shindou let his eyes wander over his surroundings. The coast was clear. He beckoned the four boys behind him and they crawled out of the bushes where they had been hiding. They were all wearing a grey cloth that made them nearly invisible in the dim forest.

Shindou looked each one of his juniors in the eye. Their faces showed nothing but doubt and nervousness. He didn't blame them, he felt just the same.

The five of them formed a small group within the army that their leader had gathered around him. The Leader was a strange man, but he showed to have potential to lead an army. The first thing that was off about the man? Well, nobody knew his name. He was always introduced as 'the Leader' and when you spoke directly with him, you had to address him as 'Leader-sama'.

The second thing was that the Leader seemed to believe in fairy tales. At least, that was how Shindou voiced it in his head. The mission that they had to fulfill right now was solid proof for that. The Leader claimed that there were other species, similar to humans, and that he could gain power from them. Shindou didn't know if the man was nuts or if there was something else going on, but he really didn't like it. Right this moment, he and his juniors were sneaking through the woods in order to find this secret cave in a cliff. They had to endanger their lives and climb down there, just because the Leader believed that there would be a hint for the location of a town for mermaids. Mermaids for crying out loud! Mermaids didn't exist, everyone knew that. Well, apparently, everyone except for the Leader. The man wanted to captivate one to take it's powers and use it for the upcoming war.

Shindou didn't believe at all that there would be secret 'mermaid' writings in the cave, but he didn't dare to disobey the Leader. The reason for that was that the Leader had a close group of minions around him that would punish every person who dared to utter a negative or doubtful word about the man. That was the same reason why no one dared to desert the army. The few that tried and failed got terrible punishments.

Shindou gritted his teeth when he thought about a good friend of him. It had been a good and eager boy, but he couldn't take more of the constant danger that surrounded them. So two months ago, during the night, after the moon had set and the entire world was covered in pitch black darkness, he had tried to escape.

Later that night, the boy entered the tent that he shared with Shindou. He tripped and fell on Shindou, causing the latter to awaken. Shindou was shocked, to say the least, when he saw his friend covered in terrible bruises and open wounds. He tried to clean them and he did his best to bandage the poor fellow up, but it was all in vain. As soon as the first daylight reached their tent, Shindou's friend died from his terrible injuries.

Shindou never left his side that night, reassuring the boy as much as he could. Strangely, the boy wasn't scared. He was happy. "Now it will all be over," he had smiled. "Now I will finally get rest, now the danger will stop. I will be safe." Those were the things he would say, the entire night. He kept repeating it as some sort of mantra and Shindou believed that the boy eventually forgot what the words meant. Shindou helped him as well as he could, but every time he gave the other something to drink, the boy would nearly choke and cough a lot, which obviously hurt an awful lot. After a few attempts, Shindou had stopped. Shortly before dawn, the other boy had opened his one eye once more (he took on a very hard blow on his right cheek and it was swollen, so he wasn't able to open his right eye). He looked at Shindou with that one eye and smiled a half-smile - revealing the dark holes where his white teeth used to be. Then, he told Shindou what had happened earlier that night.

_"I wandered around the campsite and snuck past the guards. They had patrolled for almost three hours and they were already very sleepy, so that wasn't that hard. I got out and hid in the shadows of the forest, silently getting further and further away from this hell. When I was a few miles away, I relaxed a bit, because I thought that I had escaped. But suddenly, something grabbed my arm and everything got blurry. Just a few seconds later, I was in the Leader's tent. It was crazy, I don't know how I got here so fast, but I was there and he was too. He stood in front of me, calm as ever, and looked at me with his cold eyes. He said that he fetched me, that I was a coward for running off and that cowards didn't deserve to live. And then he started beating. He hit me and kicked me and scratched my skin with his nails. It was torture, absolute torture. I thought I would die immediately, but fortunately I didn't. When he was done, he tossed me outside his tent like a sack of potatoes. I managed to get up and reach you, thank goodness."_

Shindou could still hear his friend's words inside his mind, he could still see the scene in great detail. After those words, the boy had grabbed Shindou's land forcefully. "Shindou," he had said. "Make sure that you are as safe as you can be, but more importantly, listen to your heart and mind. And leave. Find a good moment and get out of here, before he gets you too." Then, after one last shuddering breath, Shindou's friend had died.

It was funny that they didn't know each other very well. Shindou knew his name of course, and where he came from. But his hobbies? His family? His job before he joined the army? Shindou knew nothing about that.

His friend had told him to leave, but Shindou wasn't sure if he could. The Leader knew things about him, where he lived and who he held dear. If he ran, the Leader might punish the people close to him. And he also lost some of his courage after his friend's stories.

"Captain?" one of his juniors muttered. Shindou perked up at the naming of his rank and only then he noticed that a single tear ran down from his eyes. He quickly wiped it away and no one mentioned it although everyone saw it. These four boys had become close with their captain and leader, and they knew that he was very caring and sensitive. But this made them trust their captain even more, as they knew that he cared about their lives as well.

Shindou shook his head vigorously before he spoke to the others in a calm and clear tone. "Okay, we'll do it like the plan. I'll go first and take the bags while you wait behind the tree where the rope is attached to. As soon as I'm on the ledge, I'll tug the rope and then I'll go in further. Tenma, once I tug the rope, you can start climbing. Everyone, tug the rope when you're on the ledge as a sign for the next person to start, alright?"

"Hai," the four other boys said in synchronisation.

Shindou nodded, wished them good luck, took the rope, walked to the edge of the cliff and slowly climbed down. It was dangerous, since the rock was very slippery and steep, but he eventually managed to reach the ledge. He tugged the rope once and then went on into the dark hole. It was now even harder to maintain his balance as he couldn't see where he had to place his feet. He slipped away a few times, but his tight hold on the rope prevented him from falling. He was happy that he had put his sword and shield on his back, or else it would have terribly bothered him during the climb.

And then, after what seemed like an eternity, he reached the bottom. He sighed relieved and took a minute to relax his arms. But then he heard Tenma on the ledge and he hurried to light up one of the few torches that they had. He held it as high as he could to light the path for the other boy.

When Tenma had reached the ground as well, Shindou handed over the torch to him and lighted another one to take a look at his surroundings. The cave was neither really big, nor very small. There was a small lake, approximately sixteen feet in diameter, and the cave's walls were smooth and slippery. He sighed, it would be hard to get out of here again, even with the rope they had. Here and there were a few big rocks on the ground - some were even bigger than him.

When he had fully inspected the cave, he went back to the other boys. Tenma and Shinsuke were already standing there and Hikaru just reached the ground. If he listened closely, Shindou could hear Kariya on the ledge. Though he wasn't quite sure, because it could also be the waves that he heard. When the teal haired boy had joined them in the cave, Shindou lighted up one more torch and handed it to Hikaru.

"Is everyone alright?" The four boys nodded in response. "Great. Now, you all heard the Leader's orders. There should be a secret message around here."

"Captain, do you believe that it's real?" Shinsuke asked doubtfully. Shindou sent his junior an apologetic smile.

"I sure hope so. Let's not waste any more time. Tenma and Shinsuke, you take Tenma's torch and go look around those giant rocks, maybe they hold some clue. Hikaru, Kariya, you explore the left side of the cave. I'll check the area around the lake."

Everyone agreed and went to explore their part of the cave. Shindou walked over to the lake and put his hand in the water. He brought it to his mouth and tasted it, quickly spitting it out again when he realised that it was salty. Great, so they had to be careful with the amount of water they drank. He carefully inspected the walls, but he didn't see anything that could be a message.

"Captain?" Shindou turned around to see Kariya standing there. The boy pointed at the nearby wall. "Could that be it?" Shindou looked in the direction of his pointed finger, but saw nothing.

"What are you talking about, Kariya?"

"I saw it by coincidence. Here, give me the torch and take a few steps back." Shindou did as he said and turned around. Now he saw what Kariya meant. There was a strange glimmering in the wall that seemed to form strange signs. Shindou's heart sped up. Was this is? But then he noticed that it couldn't be a message, since the pattern consisted most out of vertical lines. When you took a closer look at it, you could see that it was caused by drops of water that had run down this walls for centuries.

He sighed. _So this isn't a message from mermaids._ He couldn't believe that he actually thought that. Hello, mermaids were something from a myth, remember? He rolled his eyes before he turned to Kariya again. The boy was still waiting for his judgement as a captain.

"I'm sorry, Kariya, but don't think that's it."

Then he got the feeling of being watched. Something was different, and it was absolutely not good. He turned around to find the source of his uneasyness. His eyes shot back to Kariya when he heard the younger boy scream in pain. He saw him laying on the ground, enlightened by the torch that had rolled a few feet away from him. Kariya despirately clutched onto his left leg, and Shindou could see why. The boy's left lower leg was pierced by a big arrow.

* * *

**Aaaaand I'm just gonna stop it there. Okay, this turned out to be long - really long - and there doesn't even happen very much. Alright, about Shindou's friend? I didn't give him a name because I didn't think he was important enough for one :p. Okay, I split this chapter in two parts, cause I just kept on writing and writing and now this came out. I'm not really satisfied with it actually, but maybe I'll rewrite it later. It's just a bit hard do describe how Shindou feels, cause he's afraid of the Leader, but he thinks the man is crazy at the same time... So sorry if those parts are a bit crappy. And for some reason, I'm very tired, so my grammar and such is worse than usual, I think..**

**Please Read & Review :3 Wait, you already did the first one... Ah, who cares.**

**See you next time, folks.**

**Bye!**

**Kariya: Hold it right there!**

**Me: What?**

**Kariya: Why did I get shot by an arrow? I behaved!**

**Me: Actually, I'm kinda angry with you.**

**Kariya: Why?**

**Me: Have you ever heard your dub name? It's terrible!**

**Kariya: What? That's why I was shot?**

**Me: Yes. And now, goodbye! ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

**Me: Wow, I'm really in a writing spree! This is the third chapter for this story in two days! Thanks a lot for all of the sweet replies, guys! It's great! I just wanted to tell you, my project weeks (= homework free weeks) are now officially over, so I may post later... This is just to make up for that I guess? Nah, it's because I have nothing better to do and you guys leave such sweet reviews. I'm so happy!**

**IE-Cast: Well, we're not!**

**Me: Why not?**

**Kirino: You made me a mermaid!**

**Kariya: I got shot because of my dub name.**

**Shindou: You make me fall in love with my best friend!**

**Me: *sigh* Kirino-kun, for the last time, it's a merMAN. Kariya-kun, don't worry, I have something in mind for that. As for Shindou *snickers* well, you two are just really cute. *skips happily away* ~And you're gonna kiss~**

**Shindou: What? Hey, come back here! *chases me***

**Kirino and Kariya: *looks at each other, shrugs* Lotus Sword does not own Inazuma Eleven. Enjoy our suffering!**

* * *

"Quench your torches!" Shindou screamed from the top of his lungs. Luckily, the other boys obeyed him immediately. All but one. Kariya was still clutching on to his leg and whimpering, therefore he couldn't quench the torch that laid near him. Shindou looked up at the opening to see two men standing there, both armed with bow and arrows. One of them was positioning himself for shooting again and Shindou knew that the man was aiming for the helpless boy on the ground, who had nothing do defend himself and was a clear target because of the torch.

_Klang!_

The collision of the metal arrowhead with the rock caused a rain of sparks and made a very unpleasant sound. The arrow had missed Kariya by a few inches and Shindou sighed in relief, but there was no time to sit back. Before any of the men could shoot again, Shindou dashed forward and picked up the torch. "Take cover!" he shouted at his teal haired junior and then he ran away. He didn't know how well trained the archers were, but he heard stories about people who could even hit targets in the dark when they focussed on its location. That was why Shindou didn't just quench the torch: if those men turned out to be that well trained, then they would still target Kariya.

But now that Shindou dragged their attention by running with the torch lifted up high, it would be harder for the men to determine the exact location of the other boy again. There was only one flaw in his plan, Shindou thought as he felt something hit the ground right before his feet. Now _his_ life was in danger.

_Klang!_

It was an another arrow and Shindou jumped over it, even though that wasn't really necessary. He was almost at the lake when the other man shot an arrow again. Shindou felt, heard and saw how it hit the wall right in front of him. He tripped and with a loud _splash!_ he fell into the water.

* * *

"Damn it, he got away," one of the men grumbled.

"Don't worry, keep your arrows ready. He has got to come up for air sooner or later," the other said and both men positioned themselves for that moment. The cave wasn't exactly pitch black, but the men's eyes had to adjust to the sudden darkness after the torches were extinguished. One of the boys beneath them had pulled his injured companion behind a few rocks and the others hid as well, so it was impossible for the moment to hit them. That was why they waited for the last boy, who would be helpless once he came up.

However, after ten minutes, the boy had still not reappeared and the younger man was getting impatient. Before the other could stop him, he shot a couple of arrows at random places in the lake.

"Spare your arrows," the older one said as he placed his hand on the other's shoulder. "No one can stay underwater for so long. He must be dead already." The younger one seemed to think a moment about this and then he nodded.

"What about the others?"

The other one didn't reply. Instead, he grabbed his knife and started to cut the rope. There was still enough left for him and his companion to climb up again, but the people in the cave wouldn't be able to use it. "There's no way they'll get out. Now let's return to the base and let nature do its work."

They climbed up again, leaving the four boys beneath them sigh in relief. But their relief didn't last long as three of them casted worried looks on the lake, secretly hoping that their captain would be alright. But they knew he wasn't. As the man had said, no one can stay underwater for so long.

* * *

Kirino hid in the shadows when something suddenly came into the water. He didn't have trouble at all with the little light in the water. It took him a few seconds before he realised what the thing in the water was: it was the doubletailer that he had seen before. He pushed himself harder against the wall, desperately trying to become one with it.

Now the doubletailer would see him too. Maybe it would even speak to him. Would he be entranced or something like that? Kirino realised that he never actually thought about how doubletailers 'lured you into their webs of lies with their silver tongues'. He had just assumed that it would be alright as long as he didn't talk to them. But what if they talked to him? Maybe they lured someone with their voice rather than with their words? Maybe all a doubletailer had to do was talk to him and he would be trapped?

But the doubletailer didn't notice him at all. The creature was busy with something on his back and from the looks of it, he was struggling to get it off. Despite his fear, Kirino left his hiding place and cautiously neared the creature. It looked quite like him, except for those strange tails. The longer the doubletailer was in the water, the more aggressive his struggle became. His movements were more vigorous than before and they seemed a bit... desperate? Then the creature slowed down as he sunk deeper and deeper into the lake, clearly being pulled down by the weight of the thing on his back.

Kirino, now more curious than ever, swam even closer to the creature. The doubletailer seemed in need, but Kirino didn't really understand why. Even so, he wanted to help it. A little voice in his head told him to swim back to the safety of the shadows and leave the creature be, but he ignored it. Another voice reminded him of how he promised his father that he wouldn't talk to them, but he shrugged it off. Besides, he wasn't going to talk to it. He would just get a little closer and see if he could help it.

He approached the creature from behind and he saw how it's hands were still pulling at the straps on his shoulder, though it didn't use as much force as before. The straps ran over it's back and kept a sword and a shield in their place. Those were there so they wouldn't bother the doubletailer while he was doing other things like climbing, but now they caused it to sink deeper and deeper. Kirino hesitated for a moment, but then he closed the remaining distance between him and the doubletailer. He grabbed the straps and pulled as hard as he could, successfully lifting them off of the creature. The straps slipped down it's arms and the sword and shield sank to the bottom.

Kirino expected the doubletailer to turn around and maybe thank him or attack him or... well, do something. But he was wrong: the creature didn't move at all. It kept on sinking, though slower than before as it was lighter without its weapons. Kirino scowled and inspected the creature. What was it doing? Was it tricking him? It didn't seem like it, but he wasn't sure. After all, it _was_ a doubletailer.

Its hair sank slower than the rest of its body and thus it was lifted up, revealing the doubletailer's neck. And that was when Kirino saw it. The doubletailer lacked gills! The small openings in its neck through which the water could leave its body weren't there. Did that mean that the doubletailer couldn't breath underwater? Well, that would certainly explain why the creatures lived on land instead of underwater. But that also meant that it was suffocating!

Kirino completely forgot his fear as he tried to figure out what to do. Of course, his father told him to stay away from doubletailers, but this was an emergency. He couldn't let it die, now could he? _Okay, okay, okay. Easy Ranmaru! Think. Okay, doubletailers don't have gills. They look a lot like the merfolk, so maybe they have lungs? If that's the case, all it needs is oxygen._

When he had figured that out, the solution was simple. He turned the doubletailer around until the creature faced him. Its eyes were closed and its mouth was slightly opened. Kirino placed his hands on its chest to prevent it from sinking deeper. He let his lips cover the doubletailer's mouth and closed his eyes. Then he breathed calmly, inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth.

He felt the water float through his gills after the oxygen was assimilated. And because he was so calm himself, his body didn't need all the oxygen. Therefore, he breathed the remaining amount of oxygen in the doubletailer's mouth. The two of them were still sinking, so Kirino pushed the creature softly against the wall, not pausing his CPR session for even a second. He could feel the doubletailer's heartbeat, which was slow but steady.

Then, he was surprised. The doubletailer suddenly spat water in Kirino's mouth and its upper body began to move with jerking movements. Kirino was startled for a second, but then he realised that the doubletailer's body simply tried to get rid of the water in its lungs. He calmed down and continued breathing in the creature's mouth. The water that was spat in his mouth quickly left his body again through his gills.

* * *

Shindou coughed and coughed to get rid of the salty water in his lungs. It hurt his throat, but he didn't care about that. Thank goodness, he had been saved. When he fell into the lake, the torch went out and he had been blinded and disoriented for a few seconds. When he realised what had happened, he noticed that his heavy sword and shield were pulling him down. So he struggled with the straps on his shoulders, trying his best to get rid of his heavy burden. The longer it took, the more he had panicked and the burning feeling in his chest, caused by his lungs that were screaming for air, didn't help at all.

And then, his vision got darker. He realised that he was losing his consciousness due to lack of air. He would die here. He accepted that fact rather quickly. Just as he closed his eyes and opened his mouth - letting the last air in his body escape - he felt how his burden was lifted. Then it went black.

But he must've been pulled out somehow. Maybe Tenma or someone else dived in and pulled him out of the water? But there was something odd, something that didn't seem right. And then it hit him.

He was still in the water! He could feel the water pressing against his skin. He felt how something held his shoulders and pushed him against the wall. Was he dead? Was this a sick, last minute game from his mind? Had he drowned in the lake after all? Was he in heaven? Was that why he could breath? But why was heaven underwater? Wasn't heaven supposed to be... well, in the air? These questions and many more passed his mind as he tried to understand what was going on.

He opened his eyes and blinked until they were used to the salty water. Then he tried to look around, but his view got blocked by something pink. When he took a better look, he saw that a pink haired girl was kissing him. Well, he certainly didn't expect that one! She had placed her hands on his shoulders and kept pushing him against the wall while her lips never left his.

He started to struggle, wishing the girl would stop so that he could ask her what was going on. The girl pushed him harder against the wall, clearly not intending to let go of him. He pushed harder, determined to know what was going on. He felt how her lips left his and immediately after that, he nearly choked on the water.

"Be careful," the girl said to him and when he looked at her again, he got the shock of his life. Instead of legs, the girl had a tail. It was a mermaid! Completely in shock, he blurted out all air that was left in his body. The mermaid quickly swam towards him again and placed her lips on his once more. And then he felt how air filled his tired lungs once more. Once his heartbeat was at a normal pace again, he tried to process what was happening.

He was clearly still alive, but he was underwater. There was a mermaid kissing him and that enabled him to breathe. He wanted to go up to the surface, but he was afraid to break the liplock once more. So he tapped her shoulder slightly and after she softly squeezed his shoulders, she pulled away. Since he couldn't say anything, he pointed upwards. The mermaid seemed to understand him. She swam towards him and kissed him once more while blowing air in his lungs. After two times, she squeezed his shoulder again and pulled away.

"It's still too dangerous up there. Before you came in, I heard a terrible scream and then th-"

She was interrupted by several projectiles that suddenly pierced through the water. She looked at the things with curiosity before she remembered his handicap and kissed him again. But Shindou had recognised the things. Arrows. Instantly, his thoughts drifted away to his wounded junior. Would the boy be okay? Would the archers still be there?

The mermaid kept him down there for about five to ten minutes. Every time she felt the need to tell him something, she squeezed his shoulder softly to signal him that she would pull away. But the last time she pulled away, she grabbed his hand and pulled him up. She made small but quick and powerful movements with her tail and they reached the surface in no time. The mermaid didn't raise herself above the surface, but she used the speed as a run-up to push him out of the water.

Shindou landed with his chest on the edge, gratefully taking in large gulps of air. When his breathing was normal again, he looked up and checked his surrounding. He immediately looked into the worried, disbelieving and even scared eyes of his four juniors.

* * *

**Kirino: O.o**

**Me: *walks up to him* Did you like it?**

**Shindou: What happened?**

**Kariya: You didn't read it, Shindou-senpai?**

**Shindou: No, I was chasing her *points at me* So, what happened?**

**Kirino: Ehh... We err..**

**Me: You two had a five minute make out session before you even said a word to each other.**

**Shindou: We WHAT?!**

**Kariya: Ne, can't we ask Neru Vearin-sama to say that Att-san copied her story? Then she'll have to rewrite or delete it, right?**

**Me: ^^ Too late! Neru Vearin already left a review and said that it was okay.**

**Kariya, Kirino and Shindou: *groans***

**Me: leave a review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Me: Okay, I'm back again! Happy Valentine's Day! ^^ I hope you all got lots of roses and cards and chocolats and stuff. And if you didn't, well... Join the club! *high fives with the computer screen***

**Saryuu: You know, if you break your computer, you can't write on.**

**Me: Shush, Saryuu. What are you even doing here? Go back to your own story!**

**Saryuu: *sweatdrop* alright, alright, geez! *leaves***

**Me: okay, I finished this a few days ago, but I wanted to post it today 'cause I want to post something on Valentine's day :p Ghehehe. It's not all that romantic or Valentine-y, but yeah... Enjoy!**

**Oh yeah, and I don't own!**

* * *

"C-captain?!" Tenma exclaimed. "Is that really you?"

"Uh, yeah," Shindou replied, still panting a little. A soft moan dragged his attention. "Kariya? Are you alright?" he asked worriedly while he got up and came closer to his juniors.

"I'm perfectly fine, Captain," the boy replied through his gritted teeth. His cheeks were wet from the tears. "It's just a scratch."

Shindou looked at the boy's left leg and his face went pale. The wound was seriously bad and Kariya would most certainly die if it wouldn't be treated. He reached for his backpack, which contained his emergency first-aid kit, but he felt nothing. His heart went cold when he realised that it now laid on the bottom of the lake. Even if he would be able to get it, everything would be soaking wet. Moreover, it would be salty as well, so it would hurt an awful lot when the bandages would be placed on the wound.

"Kariya, I'm... I'm sorry. I should've been more careful. I thought that we were completely safe, but they..." Shindou said with tears in his eyes. If he had been more careful, then his junior wouldn't be about to die. He knew deep in his heart that he could never have forseen this, but he still blamed himself. He looked up when he felt Kariya grabbing his hand.

"It's alright... Captain... We knew that it was... dangerous... I'm not blam-... Blaming you..." the boy smiled although tears still streamed down his face. Shindou looked him in the eye while squeezing his hand.

"You're one of the bravest men I have ever known, Kariya."

The other boy nodded in response, a half smile on his lip. "Now tell me, Captain... How is it you... you're still alive? You've been gone... for a long time..."

Shindou looked around to find his other juniors staring at him with curiosity as well. He took a step back so that he could look them all in the eye. Before he said something, he closed his eyes and rubbed them with his fingers. When he looked at the others again, a tired smile was on his lips. "Would you believe me if I told you that I was saved by a mermaid's kiss?"

* * *

Kirino was just beneath the surface and he could clearly hear the conversation of the doubletailers. He had intended to leave and hide as soon as the doubletailer was on land, but his curiousity was too great. He wanted to know more about the that specie, so he stayed just below the surface and eavesdropped on them.

He didn't feel like he was entranced or lured by their voices and this reassured him a bit. It was his intention to stay just below the surface and not make further contact, but then he heard what that one doubletailer said.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I was saved by a mermaid's kiss?"

That one statement just made his blood boil. A _mermaid_'s kiss? Before he could stop himself, he broke through the surface, placing his lower arms on the edge and resting on them. "Excuse me?!" he shouted from the top of his lungs, causing the doubletailers to flinch and turn around. Kirino wanted to say more, but the switch between his respiratory systems prevented him from doing so. He coughed while he almost collapsed. He felt a hand on his arm and looked up to see the worried eyes of the doubletailer he just saved.

"Are you okay?"

Kirino, suddenly remembering the rumors about the doubletailers, got a bit scared. He had a moment of weakness and the creature in front of him might take advantage of that. Besides, it was now talking to him! He pulled his arms back and swam away, though he kept his head above the surface. He stopped in the middle of the lake, coughing until his lungs were working properly again.

The four doubletailers stood on the side of the lake while the fifth one sat behind them, leaning against a rock. "It's okay, we won't hurt you," the all too familiar doubletailer said.

"I can't believe it, a real mermaid," the smallest one sighed in admiration. That little remark caused Kirino's anger to return.

"Do I look like a mermaid to you?" he asked. The doubletailers looked at each other in confusement before returning their gazes towards Kirino.

"Aren't you?" asked one of them.

"Of course not," Kirino growled while swimming closer until he was just a few feet away from them. They still couldn't reach him there and he didn't have to yell so much. "That's one of the worst insults I have ever heard. I am a merman."

"A mer...man? So you are male?!" the small doubletailer exclaimed in surprise. Kirino gritted his teeth in annoyance. Of course he was a male, wasn't it obvious? Back home, everyone knew that he was a merman. Stupid doubletailers.

The familiar one knelt down before Kirino and smiled. "I'm sorry, that was an honest mistake from our end. It was really dark down there so I must have mistaken you for a mermaid. I'm sorry about that."

Kirino eyed it but didn't say a word. He quickly backed away when the doubletailer reached out its hand. The creature looked at him in surprise, but then it smiled its warm smile again.

"Don't worry, everything is going to be fine," he said. "I'm Shindou Takuto, what's your name?"

Kirino eyed the outstretched hand suspiciously before he carefully answered: "Kirino Ranmaru." He decided to keep the fact that he was a prince to himself. Who knew what the doubletailers would do with that information? He glanced at the hand again, which hadn't moved anymore. He was curious, so after a few seconds he asked: "What's with the hand?"

The doubletailer in front of him looked confused at its hand and then back at him. "It's a handshake. You know, for when you introduce yourself?" Kirino shook his head in confusion. He had never heard of such a thing. The doubletailer smiled that sweet smile again. "Come on, give me your hand," he said. Kirino looked at his own right hand and hesitated. Everything in his body screamed do swim away and leave the cave, but his curiosity screamed even louder to stay. He knew that he would never get a chance like this one again, and maybe he would discover something really important about them! So he slowly placed his hand in the doubletailer's hand and waited. He was relieved when all that happened was a slow movement up and down, before the creature let go of his hand. He exhaled, not realizing that he held his breath during the action. He had to admit that he had expected to be dragged out of the water and captured or something like that, but nothing of the sort happened.

He was introduced to the other doubletailers as well and they all gave him one of those weird handshakes. Matsukaze Tenma. Nishizono Shinsuke. Kageyama Hikaru. Their naming system turned out to be the same as his: surname first, then the first name. Kirino saved this information in his head, determined to mention it in the report about. These three doubletailers insisted that he called them by their first names and Kirino agreed to it, thinking that it might be a strange habit. The merfolk never called each other by their first names, unles they were family, really close friends or lovers or something like that. But he was pretty sure that he wasn't anything like that to the doubletailers. But yeah, as he thought before, maybe it was just a strange habit of theirs?

He then glanced over to the fifth doubletailer, who was sitting against the wall. The creature saw him and flashed him a tired, painful smile. "Kariya Masaki is the name," he sighed slowly. "So... you were the one... making out with our... captain, weren't you?"

Kirino frowned at the statement. Making out? "What is making out?" he asked confused. The creature on the ground looked a bit confused. This was clearly not the reaction he had expected.

"Making out means... kissing," Shindou said with a small blush on his face as he remembered what happened in the lake. Kirino stared at him for a few seconds, studying his blush, before he asked his next question.

"And what does kissing mean?"

It remained silent in the cave while all the doubletailers stared at him. He started to feel uncomfortable.

"Eh?! You don't know what a kiss is?" Shinsuke exclaimed with widened eyes and he exchanged glances with the others. Kirino shook his head.

"So, what is it?"

"Kissing is... like... er..." Hikaru started.

"It's something you do with your loved one," Shindou explained while his kind looking eyes bore in Kirino's. "You place your lips on their lips and keep it there. It's like... a sign of affection."

Kirino's cheeks heated up and he lowered himself slightly in the water, until only his eyes were above the surface. Shindou chuckled at his reaction and motioned him to get up again. "It's okay, you didn't know that. Besides, you saved me, so thank you for that."

Kirino nodded and lifted himself again. But there was one thing he had forgotten...

Using his arms on the edge to keep him above the surface, he coughed for a few moments until his lungs started to work again. "Darn lungs," he muttered before he looked up at the doubletailers. They all eyed him with worry written over their faces.

"Are you okay?" Tenma asked and Kirino nodded.

"I'm fine, it's just those damn lungs need to start up again. I haven't been to the surface all that often, you see, so my lungs are not used to working. Every time I start breathing air instead of water, well... That happens. But I believe I'm getting used to switching. It's getting easier every time."

"That's great to hear," Hikaru smiled.

Kirino wanted to say something, but he was interrupted by a painful yelp. They all turned around to Kariya, who had produced the sound. Kirino suddenly noticed how pale the creature was. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

Shindou moved over to the smaller doubletailer and placed his hand on his forehead. The creature's eyes were closed and he was breathing shallow. Kirino wondered if the creature had even heard him at all.

"As you can see, he isn't," Shindou said. "He was hit by an arrow." At Kirino's questioning look, he pointed at the piece of wood in the younger one's left tail, which was clearly out of place. "But we have nothing to treat his wounds, so it doesn't look good for him..."

Kirino watched as Shindou let his voice fade away. He saw small drops of water appear in the corners of the creature's eyes. He wanted to ask about it, but he refrained from doing so. It was clear to him that Shindou was mourning over his dying friend and it wouldn't be polite if he asked about such trivial details.

An idea popped into his mind. He wasn't sure if it would work with doubletailers, but it was worth to try, right? For some reason, he didn't like the sight of Shindou being sad. He inhaled and looked at the other creatures.

"There might be a way..."

* * *

**Me: DUN DUN DUUUUUN! :D Yay, Kariya is going to be safe again! At least, I hope so... Maybe it won't work out! MUWHAHAHA!**

**Kariya: You're the worst, Att-chan! *pouts* Why are you even so happy, you're the one who made me injured in the first place!**

**Me: *puts on innocent smile* Whatever are you talking about, Kariya-kun~? It were those men on the ledge, remember? Are you now getting amnesia because of blood loss~?**

**Kariya: *growls***

**Me: Anyways, you may have noticed that Kirino starts to think different about the doubletailers... In the first half of this chapter, he thinks of them as 'beings' and sees them as 'it' instead of 'he'. This changes in the second half and I did this on purpose, 'cause I think it shows how Kirino starts to see them as equals... It's like: at first he thought of them like we would think about other animals (dogs, cats, monkeys, you name it). Later, he realises that they are actually just like him and he starts to see them more as persons.**

**Hikaru: Please leave a review, minna!**

**Me: HIKARUUU! *hugs him***

**Hikaru: Ehh? *sweatdrops***


	5. Chapter 5

**Me: Hello minna! So, here's the fifth Chapter of The final battle (seriously, does anyone have a suggestion for that title because I feel like pulling my hair out every time I read it). Anyhow, Kariya was shot by an arrow and is kind of dying now I guess, and I can't really let that happen now can I... Well, actually I could, because I'm planning a character death in this story, but you'll find out about that later.**

**Kariya: Who are you going to kill?!**

**Me: Later, Kariya, later. Now, do the disclaimer please!**

**Kariya: *eyes me suspiciously* Lotus Sword-sama doesn't own Inazuma Eleven. Enjoy!**

* * *

"There might be a way..."

Those five words filled Shindou with sudden hope. Maybe there was a chance that Kariya could survive all of this. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well..." The mermaid in front of him trailed off and Shindou felt the sudden urge to shake him vigorously to get the answer, but he refrained from doing so. After all, he might just scare the creature away and right now, Kirino might be the only one that could save Kariya. "I don't know if it will work with him, since I only tried it out on mermen with small wounds, but I think it's worth a try. Have you ever heard about sirens?"

The question caught him a bit off guard and it took Shindou a few seconds to realize that Kirino was talking to him. He shook his head in response and the merman began to explain. "You see, sirens are water spirits with certain powers. They are really hard to spot, since they're completely made of water, so you'll often only see them as a movement. But they often come to the surface to sing. Their songs can hypnotize other creatures, both in the sea and on land, but sometimes there are other purposes. And old siren lives near the ca-... er, my house, and she taught me the words for healing things with my voice. I'm not really talented at it, since I'm a merman and no siren, but it worked out pretty well so far."

"And what does this have to do with Kariya?" Hikaru asked impatiently.

"Right, sorry. You see, I could try to heal that wound with my voice, but it's going to be tricky. As I said, I only tried it with small wounds and there might be other thinks that'll go wrong since he's no merman... And there's one last thing. He has to be in the water, because I'm not powerful enough to reach him on land..."

"But the water is salt!" Tenma exclaimed. Kirino gave him a weird look.

"Of course it is salt, it's seawater."

"What Tenma means," Shindou explained, "is that salt in an open wound is really, really painful for us."

"Oh," Kirino said, clearly not knowing what else to say.

"Let me... Let me try it," a tired but familiar voice spoke up. Everyone turned to Kariya, who was sitting against the rock with his eyes opened. Shindou looked him in the eye and saw pain and worry, but also a small spark of hope. The boy wasn't stupid. He knew he would die if nothing happened. Shindou knew it too, but he hesitated. Kirino seemed quite unsure about the outcome himself and there wouldn't be a second chance if it went wrong. Could he really take such a risk? It was Kariya's life that they were talking about! After a few more seconds of doubt, he made a decision. Yes, it was Kariya's life, so it should be Kariya's decision as well. And if the boy said that he wanted to try it, then who was he, Shindou, to say no?

"Alright then," he nodded and Kariya flashed him a half, painful smile.

"Thank you... Captain."

"First we'll have to remove the arrow," Shindou started, determined now that they had a clear goal. The pale boy went even paler, but he nodded nonetheless. "Hikaru, get something for him to bite on," Shindou ordered while he carefully replaced Kariya's leg so that he could reach the arrow properly. Despite being very careful, it was obvious that he hurt the younger boy a lot.

Hikaru came back with one of the arrows that laid in the cave and placed it between Kariya's teeth. It would've been funny if the situation wasn't so tense. Kariya grabbed Hikaru's hand with his left and Shinsuke's hand with his right hand before he nodded to Shindou that he was ready. Shindou tried to reassure the boy, but he was very nervous himself. Apart from the first-aid course from the start of his time in the army, he had no experience with things like these.

"I have to break it in half and then pull the pointy end through your leg, do you understand?"

"Just do it," Kariya said with the arrow in his mouth. Shindou nodded and broke the arrow in half. He made sure that he broke it as close to Kariya's skin as possible, so that it wouldn't move too much in the process. Kariya tried to muffle his screams, but the wailing, groaning sound was still heard in the entire cave. He squeezed his friend's hands and tears streamed from his eyes. His breathing went rapidly as he slowly calmed down again.

"You're doing great, Kariya," Shindou said. "We're halfway there. I'm now gonna pull it out, are you ready?" Kariya wordlessly nodded in response and prepared himself for the next wave of pain that would flood over him.

* * *

While the others were busy with Kariya's wounds, Tenma and Kirino were still at the edge of the lake. Tenma's face was pale and he tensed up every time Kariya screamed. "Hey Tenma?" Kirino asked carefully.

"What is it?"

"Can I see your tail, please? I want to make sure that I know all the differences between us, so that I don't accidentally mess it up."

"My what?" Tenma asked confused, but Kirino didn't notice. He pointed to Tenma's left tail, which was covered by some grey cloth. The boy lifted it up and Kirino took a close look at it. It was one of the strangest things he had ever seen. But then again, doubletailers _were_ kind of strange.

His own tail was covered in big scales with the same colour as his hair and it glimmered slightly in the little light there was in the cave. The fins on the end of his tail were flatter and more transparent, though one couldn't see clearly through them. His tail started around his hips, clearly visible due to the darker colour. However, not only his tail was covered in scales. More delicate, lighter coloured scales covered the rest of his body, including his hands and face.

But the doubletailer's tail was different. It wasn't covered in scales, not even in the more delicate scales. Instead it was covered in... Well, he had to admit that he didn't know that, but it was weird. It was like a second cloth was wrapped around the doubletailer's tail. He hesitantly reached out with his hand and touched it, surprised by the warmth he felt. Now that he looked closer, he could also see small hairs on the muscled tail.

Luckily, Kariya wasn't shot at that strange inflection point halfway the tail, for Kirino had no idea how he should heal that. But now he got a pretty clear image of how a doubletailer's tail was built. It wasn't all that different from his after all, only they had two.

When Kirino returned his gaze towards Kariya and Shindou, he saw that the latter just removed the last part of the arrow. There was a gaping hole in Kariya's lower leg and big drips of dark blood dripped out of it. Kariya was still regaining his breath, panting heavily. The sweat on his forehead mixed with the tears on his cheeks. Suddenly he remembered something, and without explaining himself to the others, he dove underwater.

He swam to the very bottom of the lake, searching for what he had seen when he entered the cave. It seemed so useless back then, but now he was glad that he had seen it. _Where is it? It should be around here somewh- There it is!_

* * *

"That's it Kariya, you did great."

His captain's voice pulled out of the raging tornado of pain that swirled inside him, trying to suffocate him. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times to get rid of the blurs. Captain Shindou smiled at him, but his eyes were worried. They reflected Kariya's own feelings. He had no idea what the merman would do to him and he was - although he hated to admit it - very afraid of more pain.

"Help him up," Captain said, and he felt how Hikaru lifted him up and supported him. Shindou went to his other side to do the same, as Shinsuke was obviously too small to do it. With very, very careful steps, they made their way to the lake to find only Tenma was there.

"Tenma? Where's Kirino?" Shindou asked.

"I don't know, Captain. He suddenly swam away."

"Wha-?" Shindou's exclamation was interrupted by the splashing sound of the merman who broke through the surface once more, followed by the inevitable coughing. "Where did you go?" Shindou asked sternly. Kariya could see how the captain tried his best not to show his relief for the merman's return.

"I just had to get something," Kirino replied, still panting a little bit. He opened his hand and Kariya saw a few algae. The merman explained: "I don't know if it will work with you, but at home, the older mermen and -maids use it when they have trouble with breathing. When you place it under your tongue and keep it there, it will react with various substances in your saliva, resulting in the production of oxygen... But I'm not sure if it will work."

Kariya, along with the others in the cave, stared at the small green heap with widened eyes. They had never imagined that something like that even existed. "Let me try it first," Shindou volunteered. Kirino nodded and handed him one of the smaller alga. Kariya watched as his captain took the plant and placed it under his tongue. He used his hand to close his nose and pursed his lips to close his his mouth as well.

They watched as Shindou's chest slowly rose and were amazed when he opened his mouth, not to inhale but to _exhale. _After a few more tries, he turned to Kirino. "It's a strange feeling, but it works. Make sure you breath slowly and exhale through your nose when your underwater." The last sentence was directed to Kariya and he nodded in response.

He took the remaining aglae from Kirino and placed them under his tongue. They tasted salty and he felt a bit of sand, but he ignored that. Captain was right, it felt really strange to breathe without breathing. Kariya could think of no other way to describe it as he was slowly lowered into the water.

At first it was comfortable. His wounded leg was hotter than the rest of his body and the fresh seawater cooled it down quickly. But Kariya knew what would come next and he suppressed his screams of pain when the salt water came into his wound. He closed his eyes, tears escaping from them once more. He felt how Captain and Hikaru slowly let go of his shoulders and how two new hands took him over. He realized that it was the merman, who was now carefully dragging him underwater.

Even though he was prepared for it, Kariya slightly panicked when he was completely submerged by the water. He opened his eyes and tried to get away before his common sense took over again. He calmed himself down and breathed from the algae under his tongue.

The merman took him a few feet deep and then let go of him. He slowly sank, but not fast enough to distract the other creature. Kariya saw how he took a few gulps of water as if to calm himself down. Then he swam closer to him, Kariya, and opened his mouth.

Kariya couldn't describe what it sounded like. It was soft but loud at the same time. The melody was clear, but he wasn't able to make out the words. It was high and low, as if more voices sang it at the same time. Kirino swam closer to him and closed his eyes in concentration.

Kariya's leg started to tingle and then it grew numb. He didn't know for how long this went on, but eventually, Kirino opened his eyes and flashed him a tired smile. He grabbed Kariya's hand and pulled him to the surface. The merman coughed while Kariya gladly took large gulps of air. He was pulled out by Tenma and Hikaru and he didn't protest since he was pretty tired.

Kirino placed his hands on the edge and rested his head on them, obviously very tired. "I think it worked," he panted with a smile. Kariya followed the merman's eyes to his leg and his breathing faltered. The open wound was completely filled up with brand new skin and it didn't hurt at all. There wasn't a scar either, the only thing was that the new skin was slightly lighter than the rest.

He remained silent for a few more seconds, carefully touching the place where his wound once was. He could barely believe that he really survived all of that.

* * *

**Me: soow.. no real cliff hanger, but oh well. At least Kariya can walk again.**

**Please leave a review people! ^^**


	6. Chapter 6

**Me: It's been a while :p I hope you still enjoy this story! So yeah, it's spring break here in the Netherlands, so I may update a little more often..**

**ON WITH THE STORY! I don't own IE, enjoy!**

* * *

"I... I can't believe it, it really worked," Shindou breathed in awe. He looked down at the merman, who was panting heavily and looked really tired. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine..." Kirino replied and he flashed them all a half-smile. "Just a bit tired, that's all. I'm just glad I could help."

"You already helped us so much... First you save our captain and now our companion," Hikaru said and Shindou nodded in agreement.

"Hikaru is right, I don't know if we'll be able to thank you properly, but..."

"Don't mind it," Kirino said, slightly blushing. "I'm just as glad as you are. I learned so much about doubletailers today, it's amazing."

"What are... doubletailers?" Kariya asked curiously. Right now, the five of them were sitting on the ground, their eyes on the merman in the water.

"Eh? W-well, doubletailers are... erm... you are doubletailers, actually," Kirino started awkwardly. "The merfolk don't know much about your species, so we gave you a logical name. You've got two tails, right? Therefore, we know you as doubletailers... But what do you call yourselves then?"

"We're humans," Shinsuke said.

"Hu...mans?" Kirino repeated, tasting the word on his tongue.

"And we don't have tails," Shindou continued. Kirino gave him an odd look.

"But you-"

"We call them legs, we use them to walk around."

"Legs? Wait, then are your fins different as well?"

"We don't have fins either," Tenma giggled. "We have feet... And toes." He took off his footwear and showed Kirino his bare foot. The latter was obviously shocked about what he saw, since both his mouth and his eyes were wide open. He slowly extended his hand to touch Tenma's foot, only to retrieve it as soon as the boy wiggled his toes.

"So you don't have gills, you don't have tails, you don't have fins and you apparently don't have scales either... Strange," he said.

"No, we don't have scales," Shindou smiled. "This is our skin." He extended his hand so that the merman could touch that as well and his skin started to tingle where Kirino touched him. Kirino's wet hand left a trail on his arm, but Shindou didn't mind.

"Amazing," Kirino breathed in awe, and Shindou couldn't help but laugh a bit. Everything that was so normal for him was so strange for the other. They remained silent for a little while, giving the merman time to formulate his next question.

"Are... How is... What about your tongues?" Kirino finally blurted out and he recieved five confused looks, so he tried to explain it. "Are they really... silver?"

"What? No, no they're not," Shindou hurried to reply while Hikaru stuck out his tongue to illustrate the matter. "Why did you think that our tongues were silver?"

The merman flustered and lowered himself a bit as if he tried to hide in the water. "No particular reason, really," he muttered, but his red cheeks said otherwise.

Shindou thought to himself that Kirino looked rather cute like that and before he could feel ashamed of his thought, he let out a chuckle. "It's alright, just tell us."

"Well, where I come from, there's a saying... about you..." Kirino started, not looking any of them in the eye. "It goes like, ehm... 'Doubletailers have silver tongues that lure you into their webs of lies.' Everyone who goes to the surface is told a million times not to talk to your kind. It's... dangerous."

There was an awkward silence, which eventually got broken by Shindou. "And in spite of all those warnings, you still decided to safe us and help us, even if it meant that you had to endanger yourself,"You're heart is in the right place, Kirino."

For some reason, Kirino's cheeks heated up at the comment. "Thanks," he muttered.

"Maybe you could help us one more time?" Shindou started. "You see, those attackers cut our rope, so we can't get out of here anymore. But can you..."

"Hmmm, if I can find enough of those algea for all of you, we could get out the same way as I got in. There's a narrow tunnel at the bottom of the lake. I'll get some extra algea for you, so that you won't need to get up immediately after you left the cave. After all, who knows whether those men are still around or not?"

"If you could do that, Kirino, you would help us so much," Hikaru smiled as he jumped up. Kirino smiled back.

"Yosh, then I'll go now. I'll be right back!" Kirino replied before he swam away from the edge and dived to the bottom of the lake. Shindou didn't move, he just kept on staring to the place where he last saw the merman.

"Captain?" Shinsuke's soft voice made him look up into the eyes of his four juniors. "Captain, are you really planning..." He didn't finish his sentence, but he didn't need to. Everyone knew what he was thinking.

Shindou sighed before he got up. "I'm afraid we don't have a choice," he said while looking out over the water. "Our fate was sealed the moment we met him." Those last words were muttered to himself, but the others could hear them. They joined their captain as they stared at the lake, rather sad about what would happen next.

* * *

It took Kirino half an hour to collect enough algea for the five doubletai- I mean humans. They had to practice a bit with them before they entered the water and Kirino advised them wherever he could. "Remember," he said when they were ready. "You must stay calm and just sink to the bottom. Since you can't see underwater as well as I can, I'll guide you through the tunnel. Then, we'll swim a few miles to the east, to where your camp is located. I have a clear image of where it is now, so we must be able to reach it pretty soon. Is there anything else that we are forgetting right now?"

"I think we have everything, Kirino," Shindou smiled. Kirino smiled back, but then he noticed the hint of sadness in the other's eyes.

"What's wrong, Shindou, you seem a bit down."

"Ahaha, it's probably nothing, Kirino-san," Tenma laughed nervously.

"He's probably scared of getting in the lake again," Kariya added.

Kirino squinted his eyes when he looked at Shindou again and found that the boy wouldn't look him in the eye. Then he smiled reassuringly. "It'll be okay, Shindou. I know the way like the back of my hand and I'll help you if something goes wrong, alright?"

"No, it's not that..." Shindou muttered softly, but the merman heard him.

"Than what is it?"

Shindou flinched and smiled apologetically. "A-ah, nothing, Kirino. Sa, let's get going." And with that, he jumped into the lake and let himself sink. The four other boys followed his example and soon, Kirino was the only one with his head above the surface. Something about their behaviour bothered him. It was almost like they didn't want to get out of the cave. But that was ridiculous, right? He sighed, shook his head to erase the thought and chased after the others. He probably misunderstood them. After all, he didn't know _that _much about humans.

He saw them a few feet below him and quickly caught up with them. He studied their faces, interested and a bit amused. It was obvious that this was a whole new experience for them and that they didn't know how they should respond to it. "It's okay, you're doing great," he said and then he saw how their expresions became a bit more relaxed.

His heart ached when the thought about their departure in the near future. He only knew them for a few hours, but they were so nice and trustworthy... Especially Shindou. He didn't like the fact that he would never see the brunette again. Whenever he looked at the boy, he would feel something that he felt never felt before. No merman or mermaid he ever met had ever made him feel this way. And he was scared that he would never feel like that again after he departed with Shindou.

And that was when he made a decision. He wouldn't just lead these humans to the surface. Instead, he would bring them back to where they belonged and would stay with them for as long as possible. After all, his encounter had proven that rumours about the humans weren't true. What harm would there be in staying with them a little longer and learning a bit more about them? And he had to admit that he was rather curious about other humans as well.

.

_But, as many humans know, curiosity killed the cat..._

* * *

When they reached the bottom of the lake, Kirino started to look around for the tunnel entrance. Shindou and the others remained where they were, unable to make out anything in the dark. "Tenma, I'll take you out first, okay?" There was no relpy, since Kirino was the only one able to talk underwater, but Shindou knew that Kirino did this so they could follow what was going on.

One by one, they were led out of the cave. Shindou was the last and he waited patiently for Kirino to fetch him. He thought about what he should do. He had to make Kirino stay with them for longer, but how could he arrange that when he couldn't even talk?

"I'm back," the merman whispered. Next, Shindou felt something on his arm that softly dragged him through the darkness.

"Kirino," he said, although it sounded strange because of the air that escaped from his mouth when he opened it. It took him a few seconds to regain his breathing and he was grateful that he hadn't spit the algea out. He wanted to go on with his struggle to voice his request, but something touched his lips and stopped him from doing so. He suddenly realized that it was Kirino's finger that closed his mouth.

"You shouldn't talk. You might lose the algea and now that I know what that kissing thing means to you, it will be awkward to save you again that way." He paused. "Actually, it's a good thing that you can't talk now, since you won't be able to object to my plan."

_His plan?_

"I have decided to accompany you a little longer. After all, I'm really curious about other humans and there is still so much to learn." The merman sounded like a little child in a candy store and Shindou couldn't help but smile about this. He could clearly imagine what Kirino's face would look like right now.

_I guess I don't have to worry about that __anymore__,_ he thought, but he wasn't relieved or happy. Why? The merman had, though unconsciously, solved his problems, so he should be happy, right? But deep in his heart, he knew he was fooling himself. He wished that something went wrong, something they couldn't do a thing about. That way, the Leader wouldn't blame them and Kirino... Kirino would be safe...

The silence went on for a few more seconds before the merman pulled him along. Kirino kept on talking to him and gave him simple instructions. It didn't last long before Shindou got out of the cave, followed by the merman himself. The six of them swam to where the Army's camp was. It was late in the afternoon, so they could still make out the details of their surroundings and Shindou would have enjoyed the wonderful view if it wasn't for the weight on his shoulders.

They changed their traveling style after a few minutes, since Kirino got annoyed by their pace ("Aargh, why are humans so very slow?!"). He grabbed Shindou's left hand and Tenma's right hand and told the others to grab a hold. Suddenly, he dashed forward, using strong movements of his tail. At first, the five humans were startled by this speed, but they soon adjusted to it and enjoyed the ride.

About an hour later, they reached the camp. Shindou's heart grew heavy, for he knew what this meant. He knew that there were always people fishing to enhance their scanty meals or, more often, because they were commisioned by the Leader to catch creatures like mermen and mermaids... Even he could make out the noose in the water, a piece of one of the leader's traps.

Kirino however didn't notice it because he was too tired from the trip. "It's alright," he panted and smiled. "You can go up already, I'll catch up with you once I'm calmed down again." He sat up and prepared himself to swim to the surface.

Shindou's world slowed down. Could he really do this? Kirino helped them out so much... If it weren't for the merman, he and Kariya would've been dead already. And Hikaru, Tenma and Shinsuke would have died as well eventually. Shindou owned Kirino his life... He couldn't betray him like this, could he?

_No, I can't_.

His hand lashed out and he grabbed Kirino's wrist. The latter looked down at him in surprise. "Kirino," Shindou said, struggling with the words.

"You know you shouldn't talk. We're here, so if we just go to the surface, we'll-"

"Listen to me!" The words were stern and fierce, and Kirino fell silent. Shindou didn't know this, but no one dared to use that tone against the merman prince at home and he was shocked that Shindou did. Said boy was trying to get out the words as quick as he could, but it took time to regain his breathing.

Kirino's position was almost vertical now. His face looked down on the five humans while his tail was directed to the surface. It was just mere inches away from the noose, yet the merman didn't seem to notice. It frustrated Shindou that he couldn't warn the other. The person that was operating the trap must've noticed them, since the noose was slowly moving closer to Kirino's tail.

_No!_ Shindou thought. "You need to get awa-"

He wasn't interupted by the lack of oxygen this time. He was interupted by the startled scream that left Kirino's mouth after the noose suddenly enclosed his tail and he was pulled out of the water.

* * *

**I'm just gonna end it right there! ^^ CLIFFHANGER!**

**Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Me: Woohoo! I love spring break ^^ Now I can write a lot. So yeah, here's the next chapter (I figured I couldn't let you wait that long after last chapter's cliffhanger.**

**And now: KIRINO!**

**Kirino: *jumps startled* What?**

**Me: Disclaimer please? *puppydog eyes***

**Kirino: *sigh* Lotus Sword doesn't own us, enjoy this.**

**Me: Mou, can't you say that a little more cheerful? And don't call me Lotus Sword, it's so stiff.**

**Kirino: Then, can't you stop making me a merman?**

**Me: Hmm, I'll think about it. Maybe in a few chapters, kay?**

**Kirino: Yay! ^^ So minna, Att-chan doesn't own Inazuma Eleven/Go/Chrono Stone/Galaxy. This is just for entertainment. ENJOY!**

**Me: *sweatdrop* Wow, you really don't want to be a merman, do you?**

* * *

Kirino laid on the rocks, disoriented, blinded and coughing. Something held his arms behind his back and pushed him to the ground. He struggled to get loose, but it didn't work.

"Get the Leader!" the thing that held him down yelled. Kirino was almost certain that it was a doublet- human. He squirmed and wriggled, but the human only pushed him down harder. He wanted to tell the man that it was a misunderstanding, that he meant no harm, but his coughing prevented him from doing so.

What happened? He was just swimming there, ready to break through the surface once more, when Shindou stopped him. Strangely enough, the boy didn't seem to want to go up. Then, something had touched Kirino's tail and he was pulled out of the water. It must have been this human, then.

His coughing slowly died down and he took his time to look around. It was some sort of camp, with thousands and thousands of tents. There were two larger tents in the middle of the camp, close enough to the stoves so the people inside could enjoy a hot meal, but not so close that they would be bothered by the smoke.

A man came out of one of those tents, rapidly walking up to him. The human behind him grabbed his arms and pulled him up so that he could face the man in front of him.

"I got one, Leader-sama," the man who held Kirino said proudly. "It swam right into the trap."

"I see," the one in front of him said. He pointed at Kirino. "You, what's your name and why are you here?"

Kirino opened his mouth, not to answer the question but to protest about the rude formulation of it. However, a splashing sound interrupted him before he could say anything. He looked to his side and saw how Shindou, Tenma, Shinsuke, Kariya and Hikaru climbed out of the water. "Shindou," he said before he thought about it. Said boy looked up and he looked startled when he saw Kirino's position.

The man now turned to Shindou. "Shindou Takuto, do you know this creature?"

Shindou glanced one more time at Kirino before he straightened his back and saluted. "Yes, Leader-sama."

"Then, what is its name?"

"His name is Kirino Ranmaru, Leader-sama," Shindou said without hesitation. Kirino felt betrayed. Why did Shindou tell all these things to that man without Kirino's consent?

"I see, and how did he come here?"

"He accompanied me and my men on our way back. Something happened in the cave and we met him afterwards. He helped us out and brought us here."

"Aha, I see," the man smirked before he turned to Kirino again. "I'll expect you in my private tent in half an hour for a full report, Shindou Takuto. Before that, refresh yourselves."

"Hai, Leader-sama." Shindou saluted again, which was copied by the other drenched boys, and he left after casting one last look at Kirino.

"As for this one," the man said and he smiled an unpleasant smile. "Take it two the second tent."

"W-wait," Kirino exclaimed as he was dragged away. "I-I actually need to go back right away. It's rather late and I'm sure the others will worry about me." The men that held him snickered at his protests, but didn't respond further. Kirino was brought to the second tent, which held some sort of aquarium inside. Without further ado, he was tossed in the water. The men left and he was alone.

He sat down at the bottom and thought about the situation he was in. What was happening? Why didn't those men listen to him? Why was he locked up in a small aquarium? When would he be able to go home? But most importantly, why didn't Shindou help him?

He knew the answer. He knew it, yet he didn't want to acknowledge it. He desperately tried to think of other possiblilities, but his brain kept on leading him back to that one and simple option. His father's words echoed through his mind. Oh, how many times had he heard those? How many times had he complained about them? How many times had he said that he knew them? That he wasn't a child anymore?

Yet here he was, locked up in a box, unable to return home. He gave up his search for better answers, for he knew that the only right answer was right in front of him. Why hadn't he seen it earlier? He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back against the glass.

_I've been tricked from the beginning._

It hurt.

* * *

"And you stayed underwater the whole time?"

"Hai, Leader-sama. Kirino gave us some kind of algea which enabled us to breath underwater." It was already dark outside, but Shindou was in the Leader's tent. He had to give a detailed report of their mission, about everything that went right and wrong. The Leader wasn't disappointed at all that his so-called hint to the merfolk village hadn't been in the cave. After all, he already had what he wanted.

He took a bite of his food. Although it was very well prepared and steaming hot, it tasted like ash to Shindou. He couldn't get rid of this annoying feeling in his guts. He thought about the merman, who he had betrayed to save his own hide. He felt so terribly bad for leading Kirino here that he couldn't enjoy his food.

"Is anything wrong, Shindou Takuto?" the Leader asked sharply and Shindou gulped. The entire time, he made sure not to show his feelings, but the older man had noticed them somehow. Nothing could escape from that piercing gaze.

"Nothing, Leader-sama. I think I'm just a bit tired from everything that happened today."

"I see. Well then, maybe it's time that you get your well deserved rest. Make sure that you and your men come to the second tent tomorrow at nine O'clock precisely, immediately after you finish your morning practice. I think that you all deserve a reward for what you did today. You are dismissed."

"Leader-sama," Shindou said as he stood up, bowed and left the tent. He walked over to his own tent, which he shared with no one at the moment. The thought of his sleeping bag was really tempting right now and he couldn't wait until he could finally sleep. Despite this, he slowed down when he passed the second tent.

This was where he and the boys had to gather tomorrow. This was also where Kirino was kept. Shindou wondered what had happened to the merman. Did they give him some food as well? He didn't think they did. Part of him wanted to enter the tent and let the merman eat, but another, far greater part of him was scared. Scared of what the Leader might do when he found out, but also scared of Kirino's reaction when he would see Shindou.

He started to walk again and reached his tent pretty soon. When he was finally in his bed, he couldn't fall asleep. Sure, he was exhausted, but his conscience wouldn't give him any rest. Every time he slept in, he thought about Kirino and then he was wide awake again. _Happy thoughts, happy thoughts,_ he lectured himself.

He thought about the gristmill that was his home. He thought about how nice it felt to work hard in the mill or to bring the flour to the baker in the nearby villages. He thought about how hot it could be on a summer day and how the big apple tree next to the gristmill would provide shadows...

He thought about his wife, about how much he missed her right now. Oh what wouldn't he give to leave this dreaded army behind and go back to her?

But in the end, it was all in vain. As he fell asleep, his thoughts drifted back to the pink haired merman.

He didn't sleep well that night.

* * *

Kirino woke up from a sound very close to him. He startled and instinctively tried to swim away, but he bumped his head against one of the transparent walls. Great, so it wasn't just a nightmare, it was reality. He was really trapped in this cave. He turned around to see the man from yesterday. A wicked grin was plastered on the man's face.

"Good morning, Kirino Ranmaru," he said.

"Let me out," Kirino growled.

"Now, now, don't be so rude. Everyone here is delighted with your stay."

"With my captivity, you mean."

The man chuckled at Kirino's snappy replies. It must seem really funny to him. However, Kirino couldn't laugh at the situation. He was in a small prison tank against his will, far away from his home and his father. Speaking about his father, the king must be really worried by now. After all, Kirino had been gone for the entire night.

"You mustn't see it like that, Kirino-san." The man's words pulled Kirino away from his thoughts. "You are our guest at the moment. And you are going to serve a great purpose."

The expression on the man's face was so scary right now that Kirino backed away. "W-who are you?" he asked. "Why am I here?"

"The people here know me as the Leader, and soon the rest of the world will know me like that too. I will rule over all creatures on this earth. Not only over the humans, but also over the creatures in the seas and the skies. I will be all-powerful," he laughed. When he had calmed down, he pulled something from underneath his tunic. Kirino squinted his eyes to make out the details and saw that it was a silver necklace. It had five transparent stones as pendants. The rightmost pendant was dark purple coloured, the other pendants were colourless stones.

"And you, my dear Kirino," the Leader said. "You are going to help me with it." He took the colourless pendant next to the purple one and unfastened it. In mere seconds, he held the stone in his hand.

Kirino swam backwards until his back was against the wall. Last night, he had wondered what it was made of when he couldn't sleep. It seemed like ice, but it was much warmer. Now, with this maniac in front of him, those thoughts seemed so trivial. In fact, all his worries seemed trivial when he looked into the man's dark eyes.

"I-I refuse," he said. Damn that stutter. The Leader's grin widened even further.

"I'm afraid that you don't really have a choice." With those words, he placed the stone against the wall of warm ice. Nothing seemed to happen at first, but just as Kirino sighed in relief, a ray of light came out of the pendant. He couldn't dodge it anymore and as soon as it touched him, he felt so much pain that he could barely move. He screamed as his body made convulsive movements to escape the pain, but it didn't work. His heart sped up and a next wave of pain ran through his body. He had never felt anything like this before.

His body was freezing cold, but steaming hot at the same time. It was like he laid in a fire - at least, he believed that that was what Shindou had called it in an explaination. But not only his outsides hurt. His stomache ached as if he ate coral that had been expired for over a year and his head pounded like it was going to explode.

Was he going to die here?

After what seemed like an eternity, the light faded. However, the pain didn't. Yes, there were no more painful waves that attacked his body, but Kirino felt anything but fine. Exhausted from whatever it was that that man had done to him, he sank to the bottom of the tank. His eyelids were heavy, even though he just woke up, and he slowly fell asleep. The last thing he heard were the words of the Leader.

"Rest now, Kirino Ranmaru. I'll come again tomorrow."

* * *

Shindou and his juniors were waiting patiently outside the tent. It was precisely nine O'clock now, but the Leader was nowhere to be seen. Despite this, none of them even thought about pointing out that the man was too late. He practically held their lives in his hands.

They stood firmly at attention, but they got really nervous from the noises that came out of the tent. This was the tent where Kirino was held, and the painful screams they heard did anything but reassure them that the merman was doing well. His screames sometimes increased in volume and at those moments, he sounded utmost desperate. This went on for a few minutes and they heard how the sounds changed. In the beginning, the merman had sometimes yelled things like "please stop" and "no, no, no". Now, it was just clueless whimpering, as if Kirino had no idea anymore what he was saying.

Tenma, Shinsuke, Kariya and Hikaru grew nervous beside him, and Shindou didn't blame them. He was quite nervous as well. What was happening to Kirino?

Then, without warning, the screaming stopped. The only sound that was left was a soft wailing, barely audible through the thick canvas. When the tent opened and the Leader came out, Shindou was so shocked that he almost forgot the protocol. He quickly took a step forward, saluted, bowed and said: "Leader-sama."

"Ah, Shindou," the Leader said and he was suprisingly happy. A silver necklace laid around his neck, glimmering in the sunlight. Shindou had seen it before, but something was different now. First, the fifth stone was dark purple and the others were colourless. Now, the fourth stone was coloured as well... It was slightly pink, but the colour wasn't as intense as that of the purple stone.

Before he could think about this, the Leader's voice grabbed his attention again. "I see you gathered your men, that's good. Listen up men, I have a message for you. Because of what you did for me and the Army the other day, I am going to promote you. You won't have to keep watch at night in the cold anymore. Instead, the five of you are going to guard the merman in this tent. Make sure he eats enough and preserves his energy, am I clear?"

"Hai, Leader-sama."

The Leader walked away and the five boys turned towards the tent. They all thought the same thing: how would Kirino react when they entered? Shindou took a breath, stepped forward and shoved the canvas aside. What he saw shocked the living hell out of him.

Kirino laid on the bottom of an aquarium with closed eyes and a rapid breathing. The wailing was a little louder now and the merman's body was trembling uncontrollaby.

"Kirino..." He whispered. _What have I done to you?_

* * *

**Me: Shindou, how could you?!**

**Shindou: *glares at me***

**Me: Hehe, so yeah. Kinda odd twist maybe, because at first I had all those academic explanations (the two respiratory systems, the algea) and now I resort to magic... Oh well :p**

**Kariya: *reads the story* Shindou-senpai is married?!**

**Me: Yupp! ^^ But don't worry, I'll fix that. This is still a RanTaku-fic, minna!**

**Kariya: How are you going to fix that?**

**Me: *grins evilly* Remember what I told you at the start of chapter five?**

**Kariya: O.o Please leave a review, minna.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Me: Yosh, next chapter! It's a bit shorter than the others, but I wanted a cliffhanger, so yeah! MUHAHAH! Oh, I'm evil :p I don't own Inazuma Eleven yet, but I'm negotiating with level 5... (kidding). Please enjoy!**

* * *

Shindou was in his tent, thinking about the merman. That was all he ever thought about lately. He sighed. When Kirino had first woken up from his unconscious state, they had been worried for his reaction. Justly, because they were kind of responsible for his capture. And as expected, the merman was furious with them.

They didn't even realize that he was awake before he started talking. "So, you came to laugh a little?" he had said with his eyes closed. When he opened them seconds later, he used them to send nonstop glares at them. "Oh how you must have laughed about me. I was so stupid that I believed every word you told me, it must have been one big joke to you, right? I guess it's true what they say. All a doubletailer ever does is lie." When Shindou wanted to protest, all Kirino did was scoff and turn his back to them. "I should have let you die the moment I saw you."

He resisted against them in any way possible. For instance, he had refused to eat the food they gave him and he had splashed them with the water whenever they came too close to the cage. It were small acts of resistance, but it showed them that Kirino hadn't given up yet.

That was two weeks ago.

Now it was different.

Every day, the Leader came and sent Shindou and the others out of the tent. The following five minutes were filled with painful screams of the merman and when the Leader came out and allowed them to go back in, Kirino laid unconscious at the bottom of the tank. It took a little longer every day before the merman woke up, until he didn't wake up anymore. He was now almost permanently in an unconscious state. He laid on the bottom of the tank, sometimes softly whimpering or talking. During one shift, Shindou heard Kirino softly call for his father, to which tears ran down the brunette's cheeks. _What have I done?_

Kirino was now chained around his wrists. Every time the Leader came in, Kirino was lifted with the chains and the Leader did what he always did. There were less screams every day, as if Kirino didn't really notice the pain anymore. Shindou was disgusted with the merman's circumstances, but the Leader seemed content. After all, the merman gave him not even half as much trouble as in the beginning.

Shindou sighed and stood up. It was almost time for his shift, so he walked out of this tent. When he passed the Leader's personal tent, he heard screaming. Despite the danger of being caught eavesdropping on the Leader, he stopped and listened.

"I don't care!" he heard the Leader yell. "I will complete it even if it means his death!" _Is he talking about Kirino?_

"But Leader-sama," a softer, more inferior voice protested. "You will gain more from this if you let him rest more. He needs to regain his energy and-"

"I gave him more than enough time. Why doesn't he recover faster? That other one never took this long!" _That other one?_

"Leader-sama," a new voice said. The rustling of the canvas told Shindou that this person just came in. "Leader-sama, I've got great news."

"You better do."

"We have found a lead to the next location."

"Is that so?" The Leader sounded interested and Shindou became curious as well. "Alright then, I will travel ahead with twenty men to accompany me. You, whatever your name may be, will assemble the Army to travel after me."

"Hai, Leader-sama." The rustling of the canvas was heard once more as the man exited the tent.

"As for you, prepare my horse. I will go and see the merman one last time before I leave."

"Hai, Leader-sama."

Shindou realized that he had to get out of there, or the Leader might see him. He rushed towards the tent and let his eyes adjust to the dusk. What he saw made his heart sink. Kirino looked absolutely terrible. His shiny tail was dull and even cracked at some points. Shindou didn't know how bad this was, but it didn't look good. The scales on Kirino's face were dull too and he was much skinnier than before. He had sunken cheeks and dark circles underneath his eyes. His hair was dull as well and it looked messy. His eyes were closed and his lips were forming words that were too soft for anyone to hear.

The entrance behind him moved and he saw that the Leader entered. As in trance, he brought his right hand up and saluted to the man. "Leader-sama," he said.

"Ah Shindou, I'm glad that I ran into you. You see, we are moving on."

"Moving on, Leader-sama?"

"Yes, we're done here. We're heading to a new place to gain more power." He always said that, they were always traveling to gain more power for the fight. No one really knew who they were fighting. "Prepare him for the travel, you will leave in two days. I will travel ahead." Shindou nodded.

As usual, he and the two boys that were on duty at the moment - Hikaru and Kariya - were sent outside while the Leader stayed with Kirino. They didn't say a word and tried to ignore their feelings of guilt as they waited. When the Leader finally came out, the silver necklace shone in the sun once more. The pink colour of the fourth pendant was a lot more intens than before, almost just as deep as the purple pendant. Shindou couldn't really be bothered by this though, as he was very concerned about Kirino.

He turned around to his juniors and told them to take a break. He would stay with Kirino. The two boys reluctantly agreed and then, Shindou was alone with Kirino. The merman looked even worse than before and Shindou couldn't compose himself anymore.

Staring at the merman's pale face, Shindou cried silently. He kept on murmuring the same thing over and over. "I'm sorry, Kirino. I'm so sorry."

* * *

The next day, Shindou walked like a zombie towards the tent. His feelings of guilt kept him awake last night. Again.

The Leader had already left and everywhere in the gigantic camp were signs of their departure in the near future. Tent's were cleared away, heavy objects were stacked on the chariots and the horses were brushed.

All of this commotion disappeared when the thick canvas closed behind him as he entered the tent. Shindou was surprised to find not only Tenma and Hikaru - who had been on duty - but also Kariya and Shinsuke there. They grouped together and stood side by side, opposite him. "Captain," Tenma started. He was probably chosen as spokesman. For a moment he seemed lost for words, but then he said loud and clear: "We don't want to do this anymore, Captain. We don't-"

Shindou quickly shut the boy up by forcefully covering Tenma's mouth with his hand. "Are you insane?" he hissed. "If anyone hears you say those words, you'll be dead." He retrieved his hand and sighed. "I know how you feel and I feel the same way. But disobeying the Leader's orders equals death."

"Tsch, so you are just a coward, aren't you?" Kariya said hatefully. Shindou sent him a stern look until the boy adverted his eyes and muttered: "I'm sorry."

"I thought so too," Shindou said sternly. "As for what I said earlier, disobedience leads to death. That is a risk I won't allow any of you to take. I'm not sure if I should tell you, but I believe that you deserve to know. Tonight, after the moon sets, I'll take Kirino and run from the Army. I will take him to a safer place. You have to tell everybody that I ran, that I attacked you by surprise and overpowered you. When you woke up, Kirino and I were gone. You got that?"

It remained silent for a moment as the information sank in. Then came the protests.

"No way."

"We won't let you do that, Captain."

"We'll help you."

"Stop it!" Shindou hissed again, because the other boys were talking way too loud.

Tenma continued in a softer tone. "We won't just sit back and let you endanger yourself." The determination shone in his eyes.

"And I won't let you risk your life for this," Shindou replied. "You are staying here and that's an order!"

Silence hung in the air as both sides stood there, neither one planning on giving in. The tensed atmosphere was eventually broken by Kariya.

"You're stupid, Captain," Kariya said in a calm tone. Shindou slightly backed away at the younger one's words. "Do you really think that we'll agree with your plan? How were you planning to get past the guards? What will you take with you and what will you leave behind? How are you getting the key to release Kirino?" he continued and Shindou realized that he hadn't even thought of that.

"You're right," he admitted. "Then again, I really want to ask you to reconsider this. None of us might make it out alive."

"I'm in," Shinsuke and Tenma exclaimed in unison and Hikaru nodded in agreement.

"Kariya?" Shindou asked. Up until now, the teal haired boy was the only one that hadn't agreed.

"He saved my life," Kariya muttered in reply. When he looked up, his eyes shone with determination. "I think it's time to return the favor. Besides," he added airily, "you'll need someone to snatch the key from the Leader's tent, ne?"

He smirked and Shindou did the same.

"Yosh, minna. Tonight, we're going to do something that we should've done way earlier. We're gonna get Kirino out of here."

* * *

**Me: They finally realized! ^^ Anyways, this chapter is less detailed than the ones before, because the story moved on too slow in my opinion. So yeah, not a lot of important stuff happened here... Well, there is one little thing. I'd like to hear your theories about _the other one_ that the Leader mentioned. If anyone can guess it right, then... Yeah, dunno, then you're good at guessing maybe? Oh, and the Leader's necklace is also kinda important (just so you know).**

**Review please! Bye!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Me: Hey. Just so you know, I'm sick at the moment, so I'm sorry if this chapter is crappy and/or full of mistakes. I really tried my best, I just don't feel so great.**

**Right, maybe you could see this as a belated RanTaku Day thing? I dunno... I found out yesterday that it was RanTaku Day yesterday and I didn't feel like writing on this story, so yeah... I did write for my other stories yesterday (pretty clever, huh? *sarcasm*).**

**DISCLAIMER: Ugh, I got a headache... I don't own, minna. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Kariya tried not to look suspicious as he walked seemingly nonchalantly through the camp. Everywhere, people were busy with packing their stuff for the upcoming journey. The Leader's tent still stood in the middle of the camp, for it was a meeting place for the Army's councillors. But right now, all councillors were busy trying to lead the soldiers in the right direction, so the tent should be deserted. A small smirk crept on his face. Perfect.

He walked to the back of the tent and when he was sure that he was out of sight, he took his knife and made a smooth cut in the canvas. A second later, he was inside.

It was steaming hot in there and muggy too, so Kariya wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. He looked around the room, trying to find anything similar to a key. He looked underneath the bed and in several bags and cupboards, but there was no sign of a key whatsoever. _Don't tell me that the Leader took it with him,_ Kariya suddenly thought and his heart skipped a beat. If that was the case, their whole plan would fail.

He shook his head to clear the thought away and continued searching. He wouldn't get any further with guesswork. He found it eventually in one of the compartments that were stitched to the inside of the canvas. However, the ring that was attached to the key was stuck to something else. It was a small figurine, approximately as big as Kariya's thumb.

He eyed it for a few seconds before he tried to detach it from the key. It was a little statue of a kneeling boy who held his head bowed down and his arms raised as if he was giving a sacrifice to some sort of God or something. Kariya wondered for a second why the Leader would have such a figurine, but his thoughts were cut short when he heard voices outside the tent.

Without second thought, he put the key and the figurine in his pocket, turned around and dashed out of the tent, using the cut in te canvas he made earlier. He walked only a tad quicker than before, in the opposite direction this time. The key and the strange little figurine burned in his pocket.

* * *

Darkness surrounded him, but Kirino didn't really notice it. He felt weak, very weak. He knew he wasn't dead, because there was still pain. Pain was always there. He couldn't remember the times where he hadn't felt pain anymore.

His world, once a complicated coherence of studies, duties, responsibilities, problems of his subjects and whatnot, was now reduced to a much simpler form. Certain signals from outside his body would tell him what would happen to him. The one he dreaded the most, was the tugging of his arms.

His arms were together in a way that he couldn't get them loose. In one of his clearer moments, he deduced that his hands had been tied together. When his cuffs were tugged, his body was raised and that meant that he would feel pain again.

Not that he didn't feel pain when his arms weren't tugged... As he said before, pain was always there. But every time his hands were pulled, a new wave of pain would follow afterwards. He remembered how he had screamed at first when that pain came. He stopped doing that a while ago, though. Now he just waited for the pain to end and to leave his body to rest.

It always ended, he knew that much. But it always returned as well.

Moments of half-consciousness were alternated by feverish dreams and strange visions. Sometimes he was at home, sometimes he was in the meeting room with the councillors, but most of the time, he was in a dark cave. He was looking up, while a human was looking down on him. The next moment, he was pressing his lips against the human's lips, gently breathing into the other's mouth.

He knew who the human was, for the boy had told Kirino his name. Shindou Takuto.

The boy Kirino had saved.

The boy who had betrayed him.

His thought got interrupted when there was yet another tug at his wrists. He knew what was coming, and in spite of his fatigue, Kirino did what he could to resist. He knew that his attempts only looked laughable to the Leader and who knows what other humans were around him, but he did it anyway. His blurry mind showed him a scene with his father, who laughed and said that Kirino just didn't knew when to give up. "Father," he murmured. He wasn't sure if he said it out loud or only in his head, but he didn't care about that either. He wouldn't give up, even if it would take his life, even if it was hopeless... He would fight on.

He felt hands on his arms, his body and his tail, carefully lifting him out of the water. His body moved automatically as it got rid of the water and switched to his lungs. He felt a strange kind of fabric around him before he drifted off to yet another feverish dream.

* * *

Shindou checked once again if all his belongings were firmly tied to his horse, especially the great hessian bag on top. He didn't like to do it this way, but it was the only way to get Kirino unseen out of this camp. When he was certain that everything was still in place, he climbed in the saddle. Kariya, Hikaru, Tenma and Shinsuke were already waiting for him and at his signal, they softly rode through the camp at a footpace. When they neared the camp's borders, one of the guards stepped up and blocked their path.

"No one is to leave tonight. We will leave tomorrow at dawn," he barked and wanted to turn away again.

"We have an order from the Leader," Shindou said with as much confidence as he could bring up.

"Leader-sama already left two days ago, if there was such an order, he would've given it sooner and would've told us about it."

Shindou put on a face as if the guard only tired and annoyed him. "I know when he left, you fool," he snapped angrily. "Who do you think you're talking to? I'm Shindou Takuto, and me and my men personally lured that mercreature to this place. I think I would be a bit closer to Leader-sama than you, wouldn't you agree? The order we got is time-based, that's why we are leaving tonight. Now step aside or I'll have you reported."

The guard seemed clueless of what to do. Of course he knew who Shindou Takuto was: there was no one in the Army that hadn't heard the story of the capture of the mercreature. And what Shindou said did make sense, but still... He had his orders and those were to let no one out of the camp tonight.

"Prove it," he said eventually, to which Shindou raised his eyebrow.

"I don't have to prove anything to a mere guard like you. Now step aside."

"Not before I've seen the proof," the guard insisted. Shindou sighed tiredly although his heart was beating fast. It was a good thing that they thought of something for this situation. He gestured to Tenma, who was on Shindou's right side.

"Fine then. Tenma, show him the documents of our official mission report, please."

"Hai, Captain." Tenma turned around in his saddle and started to rummage through his luggage. As the guard focussed on Tenma and unconsciously moved closer to the brunette, Shindou slowly removed his right foot from the stirrup.

"You understand that I will have to report this delay to the Leader when we get back, don't you?" Shindou asked threateningly as he moved his leg backwards. The guard paled a bit and moved closer to Tenma in order to help him looking for the documents.

He never reached the brunette though, for Shindou's right foot collided with his head and he dropped to the ground, unconscious. Without checking up on the guard, Shindou spurred his horse and only seconds later, he was galloping through the woods. The sounds of his juniors following him reached his ears and he bent forward to make even more speed.

The stories of his friends ran through his head again, but he shook them away. The Leader had already left the camp, so there was no way that he could suddenly teleport them back or something. Despite this, he was tensed up the entire night.

After a good twenty minutes of galloping, he beckoned the other boys to stop. It was true that he wanted to get as far away from the army as possible, as fast as was possible, but he had to think about Kirino too. He opened the hessian bag and took Kirino in his arms as they continued their ride. It surprised them how light the merman was. His worries haunted him for the entire night. Worries about Kirino, worries about the Army...

He only relaxed when he saw the silhouette of a small gristmill on the horizon. He allowed himself a tired smile as he saw how the image grew bigger and bigger. _Finally, home._

* * *

It changed, Kirino just knew it. In one way or another, the world around him changed. His head was now above the water all the time, though he felt that his body was embraced by the cool liquid up to his shoulders. The pain slowly faded away too and he regained more and more of his original power. He was still too exhausted to open his eyes or talk, which meant that he was still depending on signals from outside.

The tugging off his arms was gone, he noticed with relief. The only thing he noticed were a steady breathing every once in a while and sometimes the noises of a closing door. There was also someone who fed him. That person then lifted his head up and carefully shoved some food in his mouth. He knew that this was a woman, because she sometimes said things to him. His mind was still too clouded to decipher the words, though.

When Kirino had finally gathered enough strength to open his eyes, he looked around in surprise. The room he was in had a wooden floor and stone walls. There was a steady door and sunlight came in through three little windows. Something occasionally blocked the light from one of the windows, but it passed so quickly that Kirino couldn't see what it was.

He laid in a wooden tub that was almost completely filled with water. Even before he tasted it, he knew that it wasn't salty. He felt it, that was why he was still so weak. Merfolk like him needed a lot of minerals to keep their tail the way it was. One of the elders in town once told him that when a merman was in a salty environment for too long, there would be great changes to his body. Apart from that, the minerals in the seawater also gave them strength. That was why it had taken him so long to recover from the Leader's visits. He looked at his tail and groaned. It was dull and even cracked at some points, which meant that he would probably moult in the near future. The scales of his tail would then come off all at once and a new coat of scales would be revealed.

The sound of an opening door dragged his attention and he saw how a young woman entered with a bowl in her hands. She was a human, Kirino noted. Strangely enough, he wasn't scared, despite what humans had done to him so far. It was something in the way she looked at him that told him that this girl wouldn't hurt a fly.

"You're awake." Her voice was soft, but her smile was bright. "That's great news. When my husband brought you here, I was afraid that you might not make it. I'm sorry for the little space we can offer you, but I couldn't find anything bigger."

"It's okay," Kirino said. "Thank you very much for taking care of me."

The woman handed him the bowl and Kirino started to eat. He never ate anything like this before. The woman chuckled when she saw him eating. She took the bowl back when he had finished. "I'm glad you liked it," she smiled. "There are not many people who eat oatmeal porridge that eager."

Kirino laughed a bit. "My name is Kirino Ranmaru," he introduced himself and he extended his hand. He remembered that Shindou told him that this was how humans greeted one another. The young woman smiled and shook his hand.

"I'm Shindou Akane, but please call me Akane."

Kirino stared at her in shock. "Sh-Shindou?" he uttered and Akane smiled with her violet eyes closed.

Before any of them could say another word, there was a knock on the door. It opened and revealed a person Kirino thought and hoped he would never see again.

Shindou Takuto.

* * *

**Me: I'm just gonna stop it right there :p As I said, Shindou is married in this story and his wife is Yamana Akane. Also, he's about eighteen in this story (age isn't really important for the story, but I think 14 is a bit too young to marry... It's an AU-fic, so they're just young adults here ;) )**

**Also, dear RanTaku-fans: DON'T WORRY! AS I SAID, IT'S STILL A RANTAKU-FIC! This is just a random plot twist my crazy mind came up with... And ShindouxAkane-fans... Please don't kill me for what will happen in the next chapter(s) *hides underneath table***

**Okay, as for the next chapter:**

**- How will Kirino respond?**

**- Why will ShindouxAkane-fans feel the urge to kill me? (seriously, I get the feeling I'll lose followers/favourites after next chapter /.\)**

**.**

**One last thing.. The little figurine Kariya found? It'll come back later on, so don't forget about it :p**

**Reviews will be very much appreciated! ^^**


	10. Chapter 10

**Me: Here I am again, minna! Okay, I won't keep you waiting, just read on and enjoy (which I higly doubt you will... there's a character-death in this chapter, so beware!)**

**Akane: Att-chan doesn't own Inazuma Eleven *takes photo of you while you're reading this* Enjoy!**

* * *

"You're okay," Shindou smiled as he stepped closer. However, Kirino backed away as much as he could. The look on his face wasn't one of hatred, like Shindou had expected, but one of fear. Kirino was actually scared of him.

"I'll let the two of you alone," Akane muttered as she slowly walked past him. Shindou smiled absent-mindedly at her, put his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead. She smiled at him, took the bowl Kirino finished and left the room. Kirino and Shindou both kept silent, staring at each other.

Shindou figured he should say something, but he didn't really know what. "So, how are you feeling?"

Kirino didn't answer at all, he just kept staring at him. Shindou felt very uncomfortable and eventually walked towards the tub, sitting down on the floor next to it. Kirino followed every movement with his eyes and backed away when Shindou came closer.

The latter sighed. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I'm sorry for what I have put you through and I'm sorry for not getting you out of there earlier." He looked at the ground, too afraid to look the other one in the eye. He realized that he couldn't bear the thought of Kirino hating him. It was just like the times when he and Akane argued about something. Afterwards, he always felt a dull pain in his heart that only went away when he saw her smile again. But now that he felt the same thing for Kirino, he wasn't so sure if that ache would ever lighten. After all, Kirino had every right and reason to hate him.

"If you really are so sorry," Kirino started, "then why did you do it in the first place?"

Shindou sighed. "I was scared."

"Then why did you break me out?"

"I guess I was even more scared that you would die."

The silence that followed was broken by Kirino's laughter. "God, you're really a scaredycat, aren't you?" It was a weird response, given the situation, but Shindou couldn't help but laugh along after a few seconds.

"You're not angry?" he asked carefully.

"I was at first of course, but you tried to make up for it. That's why I believe you deserve a second chance." Kirino looked at the ground when he said that, but suddenly pierced his gaze into Shindou's eyes. "You better don't waste it, though," he threatened and Shindou nodded.

"I won't, believe me."

"Say, how long has it been since... You know?" the merman asked after a little while.

"Well, after we arrived at the camp, you've been in that tank for roughly two weeks, I guess. And it was approximately ten days ago that we decided to free you, so..."

"It's been almost a month?!" Kirino exclaimed with widened eyes. He looked at his tail in worry when Shindou nodded.

"Is something wrong?"

"Can I get back to the sea?"

It pained Shindou to tell the other boy that it wasn't safe right now. The journey to sea would take at least two days and the chance of encountering some of the Leader's men was great. Shindou didn't want to risk their lifes. Even though ten days had already passed since they deserted the Army, nothing had happened so far. Shindou started to think that the Leader had forgotten about them, but he was still cautious.

By now, Kirino was showing signs of fatigue and Shindou left with a soft smile. "You should rest," he said before he closed the door behind him.

When he came downstairs, he saw that his juniors had returned. The boys helped out with the chores in the gristmill and had left a little earlier to chop some wood for the cooking fire. Shindou's gaze shifted from his juniors to his wife. She looked tired, but she smiled nonetheless. He hugged her from behind and kissed her crown. "Thank you, for everything," he whispered in her hair. She teasingly pushed him away and smiled at him. It remembered him of how much he cared for her.

* * *

Two days passed like this. Kirino regained more of his power with every day that passed and he talked a lot with Shindou and Akane. They explained everything the curious merman would ask them and Akane brought him his food every day. He quite liked this kind, sweet and pretty girl, but he noticed after a few days that he constantly tried to find her flaws. The fact that he could barely find any wasn't good for his mood, but the girl never seemed affected by his cranky replies. After some time, he learned to get over it, but his strange behaviour still confused him.

The only reason for it that he could think of was absolutely ridiculous. After all, why in Neptune's name would he be jealous of Akane?

So he just shook his thoughts away and focussed on his surroundings. It irritated him that he couldn't get out of that stupid tub and see more of the world, but he realized that there was no helping it.

Until...

.

A shriek woke him up from his slumber. He felt the warm sunrays on his face and realized that it was already morning. When he looked around, he saw Akane standing by the door. The girl was staring at him with wide eyes, her mouth slightly open in shock.

"Akane-san?" Kirino asked. "What's wrong."

She didn't say a word, but pointed at his lower body. Kirino followed her gaze and looked at his tai-... _Tails?! What the-?_

It was true, his single tail was split in two. Halfway each tail was a strange infliction point, like humans had as well. He believed that Shindou once called it a knee. All in all, these two tails greatly resembled a pair of legs, the only difference was that his tails were still covered in scales. But how... How was that even possible? He remembered that he started to molt yesterday evening before he fell asleep, and now...

Shindou, Kariya, Shinsuke, Tenma and Hikaru entered the room, startled from the noise. "What's wrong?" Tenma asked, but he gasped when he caught sight of Kirino's split tail. "Kirino-san? What happened?"

"Gah, I should have known," Kirino said with his eyes closed. Yes, he read about this phenomenon before, and the elders in town told him about it as well. He sighed. "The sea contains certain minerals that help us to retain our health. I've been away for too long, so my tail... it's..." He couldn't get the words out, so he continued with his explanation. "We call it double-quick evolution, an irreversible process that changes our bodies. It basically means that my body is quickly adjusting to a new environment and that I have now two tails... Apparently, it's so I can live on land, but..."

"Ir... Irreversible?" Shinsuke asked in shock. "No... But that means you'll..." Kirino looked down, his face a mixture from shock and sadness.

Shindou broke the silence after giving the merman a few moments for himself. "Kirino, I understand this is quite a shock for you... but I need you to listen to me. I already told you that we deserted the army, right? I think that the Leader will come for us sooner or later, so we'll have to travel further. We didn't think we could, since you had your tail and all, but now with this development... Well, let me ask you something." He walked closer to Kirino and extended his hand, smiling slightly. "Can you walk?"

* * *

They spent the rest of the day and the entire next day teaching the merman how to walk properly. They took Kirino to a clearing in the woods. There, where no one could see them or interrupt them, they supported the boy while he tried to get used to his newfound lower body.

Akane stayed at home, doing the regular chores in the gristmill and the household chores as well. Shindou apologized many times to her, but she waved it off. After all, she was happy that Kirino could go out more and understood that her husband needed to help him with it. Besides, she got used to this amount of work during the three months that Shindou had been in the Army, so she didn't see it as a problem.

.

So the six men left while she stayed at home. It would've been better if she had joined Shindou, but none of them knew that. And when they realized it, it was already too late...

* * *

The man took a sip from his water bottle and looked up to the blazing sun. Not for the first time during his trip, he cursed he ball of fire in the sky. His clothes were dirty, since he and his three subordinates had traveled non-stop for almost five days. But it were the Leader's orders, so he didn't dare to disobey.

Five men had left the Army without the Leader's permission. Five people were nothing when compared to the thousands of soldiers that were still in the Army, but these men had managed to raise the Leader's irritation to a whole new level. When the news reached him, the Leader had been so angry that he beat up the people near him in his moment of rage.

Unfortunately, this man had been there too and he took on quite a few blows. Of course, no one dared to stop the fuming man, seen as how he was their superior and all. After a while, when the Leader had calmed down a little, the people who were badly injured were taken to the infirmary.

The man remembered how the Leader, still fuming with rage, ordered him to saddle his horses and follow the deserters. The Leader's words still echoed through his mind. _"__You have two weeks to find them and punish them for what they did. If you find the chance for it, take the merman back with you. Oh, that little sculpture they stole as well. I don't care what you do to the men, but make sure they'll suffer. Most importantly, make sure to be back here in exactly two weeks, or you'll face the consequences of your slacking off!"_

That was twelve days ago, which meant that he and his subordinates had to make their way back to the camp today. If he estimated correctly, they were about two days of traveling away from the camp. He longed for his simple tent and his simple bed, he longed for a full night of sleep again. Needless to say, he didn't get much sleep ever since his journey started. On the other hand, he didn't want to return to the camp without at least punishing the deserters. Knowing the Leader, the man would not be pleased when he heard that his orders weren't executed.

That's why this man tried his best to find the cullprits and make sure that the Leader's commands were executed. He smiled tiredly when a gristmill came into sight. He was told that this was where the captain of the deserters lived. He was kind of nervous, for this gristmill was his last chance. If they weren't here, he would have to aboard the mission and return empty-handed.

Swallowing his nerves, he raised his hands and loudly banged the door. After a few moments, a slender young woman with a friendly face opened it carefully. She had chestnut coloured hair and kind lavender eyes. "Yes?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Mrs. Shindou?" he asked and when she nodded, he continued. "There is an important matter that I need to discuss with you. May I come in?" Like she had a choice. He was a commander of the Army, she was merely a craftsman. Moreover, she was a woman, which meant she was clearly not in any position to refuse him. It seemed like she realized this too, because she opened the door further and took a step back, allowing him to enter.

As soon as they got in, his subordinates went looking through the rooms for signs of the deserters and the merman. The woman seemed slightly panicked about this. "W-wait, you can't do that," she exclaimed, but he stopped her with a movement of his hand.

"On the contrary, miss. Your husband deserted the Army with his juniors. He _deserted,_ which is a capital crime. We have orders to find them and bring them back, which gives us the right to look here."

"What? N-no, you must be mistaken. Takuto would never do such a thing!" the woman exclaimed. He smiled at her, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

"Then there's nothing to worry about, is there?" The woman didn't reply and after a few minutes, the man's subordinates returned.

"No sign of them, sir," one of them called out and the man scowled.

"Nothing at all?"

"Well, we did find this," another said, revealing a helmet. It was conical and made out of various small metal plates that covered each other like scales. The man recognized it immediately, for this was the kind of helmet that was handed to every soldier in the Army. The symbols on the back taught him that it belonged to someone who had a leadership role, which meant that this had to belong to Shindou Takuto himself. And if the helmet was here, that meant that Shindou was here too. Or at least, he had been here.

The man turned to the pale young woman in front of him, smiling rather devilishly. "Takuto would never do such a thing, eh?" he mimicked her words and an angry scowl formed on his face. "Speak up, woman! Where are they?!"

She bit her lips and shook her head, signalling that she wasn't going to tell him. Enraged with her little act of rebellion, he swung his arm at her. She tried to back away, but she was too late and he hit her in the head, successfully knocking her out. Her body went limb and she collapsed on the ground in front of him.

He exited the gristmill with a frown, followed by his subordinates. "Sir? What are your orders?" The man didn't look at them. Instead, he looked to the sun, calculating how much time they still had left.

"We'll return to the Army. Who knows how far away those thuggs are and we need to be back in time." He mentally cursed himself for knocking that woman out. She could have told him where her husband and his little friend were.

"What about the mill, sir?"

He turned to send them a glance before he turned again and walked to his horse. "Burn it down," he said over his shoulder.

Fifteen minutes later, the four of them were riding on their horses, their backs turned towards the burning building. The walls were made of stone and would probably survive the fire, but a lot of things wouldn't. The wooden floors and the support beams for instance. The man slightly smiled to himself, content with the way he executed the Leader's commands.

Even though he didn't bring back the merman or the figurine, he had still punished the deserters. _After all,_ he thought to himself, _sometimes it's far more painful to live on while someone who is dear to you doesn't. _He figured that someone like Shindou would be devastated by the loss of his wife and his home.

Black smoke rose from the buring gristmill, slowly darkening the light blue sky. The raging fire that produced the smoke feasted on everything flammable inside.

* * *

**Me: ... Oh. My. Flippin'. God... I killed Akane... /.\**

**IE-cast: WHAT DID YOU DO?!**

**Me: I'm so sorry, minna, but I really needed to do this. I don't want Shindou to cheat on his wife, so... yeah. I'm really sorry to all ShindouxAkane fans out there *bows*.**

**Akane: Uhm... Please leave a review?**

**Me: AKANE! You're alive?!**

**Akane: Of course, it was only a story, Att-chan.**

**Me: Pfew, well, that's a relieve. Well minna, please leave a review to scold me for brutely killing Akane-chan here. Oh yeah, and the man in the end? He's not so important, so I didn't give him a name ;) (I suck at names anyways). Also, if you think that the changes to Kirino are confusing, please leave a review with it and I'll PM you about it (seriously, I don't mind if you PM me now or when I already completed this story... I'm just glad to help you out).**

**Bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Me: Here you go, the eleventh chapter of 'The Final Battle'. I hope you like it, minna!**

**Tenma: ... O.o**

**Kirino: Huh? Tenma, what's wrong?**

**Tenma: I... I already read it... In the end, it's-**

**Me: Shush, let the readers find out for themselves!**

**Tenma: :#**

**Kirino: The usual disclaimer applies, Att-chan doesn't own anything!**

**Me: It's long (over 4000 words, the bold words not included), but I still hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

"That's it, Kirino-san," Tenma smiled as the merman took another insecure step. Kirino didn't respond, for he was focussing on his newfound legs. Although he was improving rapidly, he still couldn't walk on his own without falling to the ground.

At first he had already a lot of trouble with standing on his own, for his knees didn't work properly yet. After a while and lots of comments from the others, he figured out how to stand straight without anyone's help. Then came the second part, which was far more difficult than standing: walking. It was hard to control two legs instead of one tail. Now he had to focus on two limbs that had to do two different things. If he raised his left leg, then his right leg had to remain on the ground. Kirino, who was used to moving one thing, often moved both his legs at the same time. This was why he couldn't walk alone. He was improving, though. At first, he needed the help of at least two people to keep himself from falling, now he only needed one.

He was currently being supported by Hikaru. The purple haired boy suddenly stood still and Kirino shot him a questioning glance. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but Hikaru flashed him a smug grin before Kirino could say a thing. "Let's try the next step, Kirino-san," the boy smirked as he suddenly let go of Kirino's shoulder and ran away.

"What the- Hikaru!" Kirino wobbled without his support, but frustrated as he was, he wanted to get back at te boy. So he did what he had never done before: he ran. Kariya, Tenma, Shinsuke and Shindou looked with great surprise as the former merman chased Hikaru like he was born with legs. Truth be told, Kirino was fast. He slowly caught up with Hikaru while scolding the boy for his prank.

"But Kirino-san, just look at what you're doing right now!" Shinsuke yelled when Kirino stormed past them. "You're running!" Kirino slowed down and looked at his legs, as if he couldn't believe what just happened.

"I... I did, didn't I?" he said.

"I got an idea," Shinsuke suddenly exclaimed. "Let's play tag! Kirino is 'it'!" Only a second later, he dashed away with Tenma and Hikaru.

Kariya scoffed. "Tsk, little children." But after a good two seconds, he backed away from Kirino as well. The pink haired boy eyed the others' behaviour with curiosity before he turned to Shindou. The captain was the only one that hadn't backed away from him.

"What are they doing?" Kirino asked and Shindou smiled.

"It's a children's game called tag. The one that is 'it', in this case that's you, has to touch one of the others and then that person becomes 'it'. The others run away and the one that is 'it' chases them."

"I see," Kirino muttered thoughtfully before he took a half step and seemed to lose his balance. "Woah!"

Luckily, Shindou caught his shoulders in time and kept him from falling. "Are you alright?" he asked with worry. Kirino smiled and nodded, but just as Shindou was about to sigh in relief, he felt something tapping his shoulder.

"You're 'it'," Kirino smirked before he suddenly dashed away. Shindou stood there dumbfounded. Kirino had... tricked him? But then a small smile appeared on his face and he chased after the other boys. They played tag for quite a while and neither of them was bothered by the fact that it was a game for little children. They hadn't felt this carefree in a long time and they enjoyed every moment of it. For Shindou, Tenma, Shinsuke, Hikaru and Kariya, this game brought back many memories of their past and for Kirino, it was just a whole new experience. When he was a young merman, he didn't play with other merfolk very often. This little game gave him a piece of childhood that he never had.

Kirino was currently being chased by Shindou, who was 'it'. He was astonished by how quickly he got used to his legs when he just did something fun. He had barely any trouble with running, walking or standing anymore and it seemed like his new legs were just as muscled as his former tail was. As he ran away from Shindou, something caught his eye and he slowed down.

Shindou caught up with him and playfully hit him on the shoulder. "You're 'it'," he laughed, but stopped once he saw that Kirino wasn't paying attention anymore. He followed the other boy's gaze and was shocked to see that the sky was dark. But not a normal dark, like when the sun is setting. No, the sky was dark because of thick black smoke that came from a distance. Shindou whistled through his teeth as his juniors slowly got closer to him. "Seems like there's a big fire over there."

"How do you know?" Kirino asked.

"There's a lot of smoke, so it must be a big fire," Shindou explained and Kirino nodded.

"But Shindou, isn't your home there too?"

"It's in that direction, yes, but we don't know how far the fire is away. It's clearly not in the woods, because that would be too close, but it's close enough for us to see the smoke."

"Maybe we should go back," Kirino said. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"I'm telling you, it's probably nothing," Shindou reassured with a smile. "But maybe you're right, let's go back to Akane." Everyone agreed and climbed on their horses. They had used the animals to get deeper into the forest so no one would see them. After all, if rumors started spreading about a boy who couldn't walk properly and was covered in scales, the Leader might come for them. Since there were five horses and six people, Kirino sat behind someone else. Sure, he could walk and run now, but riding a horse was something completely different.

This time, he sat behind Tenma as the five horses galloped through the forest. Kirino noticed that no matter how far they went, the cloud of smoke was always right in front of them. And that could only mean one thing: the thing that was burning was on their path. The closer they came to his home, the more nervous Shindou grew.

Suddenly, without warning, they exited the forest. Everyone blinked furiously to let their eyes adjust to the sudden change of light intensity. Their horses stopped and stumped nervously with their hooves. Kirino only had to look in front of him to see why: the gristmill was on fire. Though the building was still a few hundred feet away from them, the smoke and the blazing heat scared the animals. It took Kirino a few moments to let the sight sink in. The mill was on fire. The place where he had stayed was on fire. Shindou's house was on fire.

Akane.

Shindou seemed to have had the same thoughts, because he suddenly gave his horse the spurs and raced towards the fire. The horse was a bit reluctant, since its instincts said that he should get away from the fire, and not closer to it. But he followed the orders of the one on its back. At least, until its instincts finally took over. Everything around it told the poor animal that it would die if it went on, yet the person on its back kept on sending him forward. When the instincts took control, the horse pranced and launched its master from its back. Panicked, the animal ran away from the blazing fire, leaving its master on the ground.

The man didn't stay there for long, though. Shindou got to his feet and started running towards the gristmill. His eyes were narrow because of the smoke and the heat, but he didn't notice it. He just kept on running and running. _Please, let her not be there,_ he thought as his eyes started to water. He didn't know if it was from the smoke or from the possible loss of his wife. "Akane!" he yelled, but the fire swallowed every sound he made.

Was this the Leader's work? It had to be, who else would do such a thing? If it was the Leader's punishment for them, then Akane was probably still... He couldn't finish his thought as tears streamed down his face. He had to get her out of there! He had to save her! Even if that meant that he would have to go into that burning hell himself.

He was still a few dozens of feet away from the burning building when he was suddenly tackled to the ground. His hands were pushed down by someone's knees as that same someone sat down on his back. He tried to get loose, but the person wouldn't let go of him.

"Let me go!" he screamed to be heard over the fire. "I have to save her!"

"If you'll do that, you're dead, Captain!" the person yelled back. It was Kariya. Unbeknown to Shindou, the teal haired boy chased him immediately when he, Shindou, dashed off. Kariya had seen the panicked look in his captain's eyes and realized what the older boy was thinking. When Shindou's horse pranced and tossed him off, Kariya took his chance and jumped off his horse as well. Luckily, he caught up with his senior in time and he tackled him.

"No! It's... I... Just let me go!" Shindou struggled to break free, but Kariya pushed him down. Tears ran down Shindou's face as he watched the fire in front of him. Deep inside of him, he knew that he couldn't save Akane anymore. After all, the fire was already burning for so long... But another part of him wanted to jump in the fire and save her. She had to be okay, right? He shouldn't waste time here and just go looking for her. And then, when he found her, they would just walk outside. Dirty, scared... but alive. And then he would kiss her, and then she would throw her arms around him and whisper his name.

His heart broke into a million little pieces when he realized that she would never to any of those things. He would never be able to hold her again, he would never see her smile again or hear her voice... She was gone, he knew it. So he finally gave up his struggle and cried. He cried his heart out, unable to keep his feelings to himself. Akane, his beloved, sweet, beautiful wife, was gone...

When the fire died down, Shindou's tears had been long gone. All that was left were quiet sobs and an incomparable pain in his chest. She was gone... Forever... Kariya stood up and noticed that his eyes stung. Refusing to cry, he rubbed in them and turned towards the others.

They had all gotten off their horses and Shinsuke managed to get a hold of Shindou's horse. The little boy was still trying to calm the animal down. Hikaru, Tenma and Kirino stood next to the other horses and looked at the windmill with sad eyes. Kariya felt the same pain as they did. Akane had been such a nice, lovely woman and now she was dead. They couldn't even imagine how Shindou must feel, because Shindou knew Akane far longer than any of them did. Kariya eyed his captain once more and saw that Shindou was still in the same position. He was on his knees and stared with glassy, empty eyes towards the black, smoking residues of his house. His tears had left a trail though the soot on his face.

Kariya sighed and decided to leave the older boy be for a while. He walked back to the others and devided the chores. It was around noon, so they should prepare something to eat. They quietly fulfilled their taskes. No one really felt like talking after what happened. Kirino often shot concerned glances towards Shindou, but the other boy didn't move. When the food was ready, Kirino took soft steps towards Shindou.

The latter didn't really seem to notice Kirino's presence, so the boy coughed softly. Although Shindou clearly heard him, he still didn't respond. "Shindou?" Kirino's voice was soft and hesitant, but he continued. "Shindou, you have to eat something."

"Who cares?"

"What?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does."

"Please, just leave me alone."

Kirino hesitated. Should he do as Shindou said? He shook his head to clear the thought away and walked closer to the brunette. "I won't. Come on, you got to eat something." He grabbed Shindou's arm and pulled him up, almost losing his own balance in the process. But he kept his ground and soon, he walked with Shindou towards Kariya, Hikaru, Tenma and Shinsuke.

The meal was scanty, with hard bread and a thin slice of cheese, but it was all they had. They hadn't really packed a lot of food for today's little trip and all the other food was lost in the fire. They would have to earn money very soon.

When they all finished their meal, Shindou stood up and looked at every one of his companions. They were kind of shocked to see his facial expression, since it wasn't sad anymore. It was strict and determined. "Pack up your stuff, men, we'll leave soon."

"Leave?" Tenma asked. "But Captain, where are we going?"

"None of your business."

"B-but-"

"I said we leave soon, now pack your stuff and prepare your horses! Am I clear?" Shindou asked sternly. He spoke so loud that he almost yelled in poor Tenma's face and the latter hurried to nod.

"H-hai, Captain, very clear!"

Shindou nodded and walked away to prepare his horse. The five other boys did the same, but shot worried and confused glances at their captain from time to time.

* * *

They traveled for the entire day with barely any breaks. The breaks they did have were short and rushed, for Shindou constantly urged them to hurry up. The horses they rode on became tired and couldn't keep up their galloping pace anymore. Much to Shindou's annoyance, the animals often slowed down.

The sun had already set and they were still riding. Their bodies hurt from riding so long and their horses' flanks were wet from all the sweat. The poor animals and their riders were close to breaking down. But despite all this, Shindou still urged them to go on. Whenever they asked him about their destination, he snapped at them. He was currently riding a few feet ahead of him while Tenma, Shinsuke - along with Kirino - Hikaru and Kariya grouped together behind him.

"That's enough." The four boys were surprised to hear those words from Kirino. "Please prepare a simple camp, we need to rest," the pink haired boy said as his eyes were locked to Shindou, who was still in front of them. Shinsuke urged his horse to speed up and he soon rode alongside Shindou.

Before the latter could say a word, Kirino bent forward and took the reins from Shindou's hands. He pulled them and both horses came to a stop. Shindou glared at him and opened his mouth to object, but Kirino was faster. "It's enough, Shindou. We all need to rest now."

"It's not enough until I say it's enough," Shindou angrily snapped, but Kirino didn't even blink. Shindou tried to snatch the reins back from the former merman's hold, but Kirino evaded him. He jumped off Shinsuke's horse and started to guide the horse back to the others, but Shindou jumped off as well. "Stop that, you don't tell me what to do, Kirino!"

Kirino looked at the brunette in front of them, completely calm on both inside and outside. Shindou on the other hand looked bewildered and he wouldn't look Kirino in the eye for longer than two seconds. "Shinsuke, please take care of the horses," Kirino said without breaking the eye contact with Shindou. He felt how the little guy took the reins from his hand and heard how he walked back to the camp.

When they were alone, Shindou repeated his statement from before, only softer this time. "You don't tell me what to do..." It sounded more like a question than a threat.

"I will. I will, because you can't lead us right now."

"What are you talking about?!" Shindou angrily shouted. "I'm the captain."

"And not a really good one at that."

"What?"

"You're gonna kill us with that crazy march of yours."

"That's not true!"

"I know you're sad about Akane, but you have five people to take care of right now. If you can't do that, I can no longer see you as a captain."

"I'm perfectly fine!"

"Then where are we going? Where are you taking us to?"

Shindou kept quiet and looked at the ground. His actions confirmed what Kirino thought: Shindou didn't take them to another place, he took them away from the place where he lost everything. There was no clear destination to their journey, Shindou just didn't want to be at the place where he lost everything dear to him.

"Shindou, I know it hurts, but-"

"You don't know anything!" Shindou's sudden shout startled Kirino and he almost took a step back. Almost. Shindou glared at him. "You don't know anything," he repeated.

Kirino took a step forward. "I do know, Shindou, I-"

"No you don't! You're a stupid, bothersome little pest who keeps on asking about every unimportant detail here. You know absolutely nothing about me!"

Silence hung in the air when Shindou finished his rant. Kirino squinted his eyes. His next action caught Shindou completely off guard: Kirino stepped forward and hugged him tight. He didn't say anything, he just hugged him. Neither one knew how long they stood there. Seconds? Minutes? Eventually, the silence was broken by Kirino's soft whisper. "I miss her too."

Suddenly, he felt how Shindou leaned in. The brunette rested his head on Kirino's shoulder and started crying. Once the first tear escaped his eyes, Shindou couldn't stop anymore. He just cried and cried and cried over his loss until there were no more tears. Kirino rubbed his back and whispered soothing words from time to time. When Shindou finally calmed down, Kirino pulled back from the hug to look Shindou in the eye.

"I know it hurts, but do you really think that this is the way to deal with it? Think to yourself, would Akane be happy when she saw you right now?"

Shindou's eyes widened a bit. "No," he whispered. "No, she wouldn't." Kirino smiled a bit and took his hand. He softly guided Shindou back to the others, who had built a fire by now.

* * *

Before he sat down with Kirino, Shindou bowed to the other boys and apologized for his behaviour today. "It's alright, Captain, we understand. But please, can we take it a little easier tomorrow?" Tenma pleaded and Shindou smiled and nodded. Hikaru gave them all some of the food and they ate their scanty meal while chatting a little with each other. Kirino noticed that Shindou was still pretty silent, but he decided to shrug it off. It took time for these kind of wounds to heal. He stroke Shindou's hand with his own and when the brunette looked up, Kirino flashed him an encouraging smile. 'I'm right here for you,' it seemed to say. Shindou smiled as well.

"We will have to buy new food very soon, there's barely any left," Hikaru said as he looked into the bags. He, Tenma, Shinsuke and Kariya unconsciously looked at Shindou, asking him what to do with their eyes.

"To buy food, we'll need money," Shindou thought out loud. "To get that, we could try to get a job, but I'm afraid that won't go well since we're on the run for the Army and can't stay long in one place... Don't we have anything with us that we could sell?"

Everyone except for Kirino started to search their pockets. The merman didn't look for anything because he was wearing Shindou's clothes and not his own, so he figured there wouldn't be anything in his pockets. Everything they collected was worthless stuff: a small piece of rope, two handkerchiefs and Shinsuke's lucky stone. Then Kariya put down his stuff.

"What's that?" Tenma asked as he picked up a little figurine. It was a statue of a boy who was kneeling with his hands raised, as if he was going to sacrifice something.

"I don't know," Kariya shrugged. "I took it from the Leader's tent the day I stole that key. It was attached to this, so I took it with me. I completely forgot I had it until just now."

"Did you see that there's something engraved here?" Tenma asked as he pointed to the bottom of the figurine.

"Really? What does it say?" Kirino asked.

"I don't know, I can't read," Tenma confessed and Shinsuke, Hikaru and Kariya nodded to signal that they couldn't either. Shindou actually could read a little, since that was required for someone of his position in the Army, but he couldn't read much. Kirino looked closely at the figurine to make out the words in the little light that the fire provided.

"There's only one word," he said. "Clau... Claustrum. If I'm correct, it's an old word for prison."

"Prison?" Kariya muttered. "Could it... Could it be that the Leader locked someone up in there?"

"There is definitely something weird going on around the Leader," Shindou muttered. "I mean, he knew about the existence of mermaids and maybe there are even more species that we don't know of. I wouldn't be surprised if that man could actually perform some kind of magic."

"Well, if someone is locked up in there, let's free him!" Tenma exclaimed as he took the figure from Kirino's hand.

"Wait, Tenma, maybe-" Shindou started, but it was too late. Tenma stood up and threw the figurine at the ground. When it broke, purple smoke seeped out of it. The others got up as well and slightly backed away from the growing purple mist. The smoke slowly cleared and revealed a boy with navy blue hair. He sat in the same position as the statue and they all noticed his increddibly pale skin. The boy coughed because of the smoke, which showed that he was really alive.

Tenma, as naive as he was, took a step forward and extended his hand. "Hey, are you okay?" The boy looked up at him and Tenma looked in his golden eyes. The boy looked... fragile. He slowly raised his hand and grabbed Tenma's.

The next moment, Tenma's view got blurry and wind blew through his hair. He let out a startled yelp when his back collided with a tree. He saw his companions about a hundred feet away from him. How did he get here so fast? When he looked in front of him again, he saw that it was the navy blue haired boy who pushed him against the tree. The boy held him at this shoulder and Tenma figured that he was pretty strong, since he could raise Tenma from the ground with one hand.

The aura of fragility had disappeared: this boy was strong and dangerous. His lips parted in an evil grin when he saw Tenma's shocked face. Tenma gasped at the sight of two pure white, razor-sharp fangs.

"One little tip for the afterlife, kid," the creature in front of him said in a deep voice and he smirked. "_Never_, trust a vampire."

* * *

**Me: Hehehe, cliffhanger! ^^ Mermaids aren't the only 'mythical creatures', you know? :P I guess you can all guess who this vampire is :3 Just so you know, this story still has a plot (it's not like I just come up with something and don't know how to end it... so yeah).**

**As I said, it's quite long, but I just had to put in this last scene... I hope everything is still clear and if not, PM me or leave a review. **

**Tsurugi: Please leave a review on your way out! *smirks and reveals his fangs***

**Tenma: O.o *shivers***


	12. Chapter 12

**Me: Here I am again! I thought I irritated you long enough with that cliff hanger, so here is the next chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it, minna! ^^ Tenma, please do the disclaimer.**

**Tsurugi: Lotus Sword doesn't own Inazuma Eleven, for it belongs to Level 5.**

**Me: Hey, you aren't Tenma!**

**Tsurugi: Tenma's busy at the moment.**

**Me: Busy with what?**

**Tsurugi: Read the previous chapter of your story, girl, he's in quite a situation, you know!**

**Me: Yeah, but... Don't you have to be there as well?**

**Tsurugi: Crap, you're right *dashes out of the room***

**Me: *sweatdrop***

* * *

Tenma let out a pained cry when the creature's sharp fangs pierced through his skin. He felt how two lips quickly covered the wound and how the blood was sucked out of his body. Along with it came a dull pain in his neck, which slowly but surely spread out when there became a lack of blood in the veins in his neck. He breathed with jagged breaths and his heart sped up. Blurs and black shapes appeared in his vision and he suddenly realized that he was losing consciousness. Or was it even worse...?

Despite knowing about the other's strength and speed, Tenma tried to free himself from the vampire's grasp. Every attempt was fruitless, though. It became harder and harder for him to stay awake. The soft sleep - or was it death? - called out for him, louder and louder. Promises of rest and an escape from the pain lured him, but Tenma didn't give in.

Not yet.

* * *

Kirino watched in horror, along with Kariya, Hikaru, Shinsuke and Shindou, how the vampire held Tenma against the tree. Goosebumps rose when they heard the brunette scream as the navy haired boy bowed down and bit him. Tenma struggled, but he didn't stand a chance against his opponent. The latter was forcefully sucking Tenma's blood and Kirino knew that they would never reach the duo in time. The others were screaming Tenma's name in shock and fear, but the vampire didn't let go.

"Stop it!"

Kirino shouted it without thinking and his voice was full of authority, like the voice of the prince he was. He didn't think the vampire would listen to him, so he was utmost surprised when the creature indeed pulled back from Tenma. He kept Tenma against the tree with only one hand and turned around to face the group of five opposite him. Kirino's eyes widened when he noticed the deep red eyes that stared amused at him.

"Who tells me to?" the creature said in his deep and confident voice. He shifted a bit and Tenma softly groaned in pain at the movement. There were four punctured wounds visible in his neck, since the vampire bit him using both the upper and the lower teeth. The lack of blood from the wounds did nothing to reassure Kirino. He shifted his gaze back to the vampire and tried to sound as confident as possible when he answered.

"Kirino Ranmaru, prince of the merfolk in the Sea of Japan." He felt the need to add the rest of his title, yet the vampire didn't even blink at the mention of it. Kirino kept on staring in the blood-red eyes and added: "Who wants to know?"

The vampire closed to his eyes and smirked to himself, revealing his fangs once more. He used his free hand to wipe away a little of Tenma's blood from the corner of his mouth. When he answered, his words sounded indifferent. "Tsurugi Kyousuke, second born in the last generation of the Tsurugi clan, one of the most prominent vampire clans there is." He eyed Kirino from head to toe before he raised an eyebrow and smirked wider. "Double-quick evolution?"

"How did you-"

"I know a lot about your kind." The vampire cut him off with a dismissive gesture. "Back to the main point, I don't think you're in the position to disturb my meal, Your Highness." Even though Tsurugi ended his statement with an honorific, the threat and sarcasm were very clear.

"You can't just kill him!"

"Why not? I'm thirsty."

"He set you free!"

"That's his own mistake. He should have known better than to free a hungry vampire."

"How was he supposed to know that?"

"Not my problem."

Kirino was getting angry. Tsurugi was completely unreasonable and, according to the arrogant smirk on his face, he knew that all too well.

"How honorable of you!" Shindou suddenly shouted sarcastically. He was angry because he didn't know how bad Tenma's condition was and they were wasting time. Add up the arrogant, sadistic bastard in front of him and everything that Shindou endured today and it was enough to make him lose his temper. "You are no better than the Leader!"

Tsurugi's figure became a blur as he let go of Tenma and ran away. Before Shindou could wonder where the vampire was and before Tenma's feet could reach the ground, Shindou felt a cold arm around his neck. The grasp tightened quickly and it nearly suffocated him. His own fingers plucked at the arm, but nothing changed. "Listen carefully, boy," a voice hissed near his ear and he realized that it was Tsurugi. "Don't you dare to compare me to that low-down, infamous, dirty little crook, you hear me?" He shook Shindou's body vigorously during the last words and the boy hurried to reply.

"Y... es... Yes," he choked out.

"I thought so," Tsurugi said and he threw Shindou away with seemingly little force. Shindou fell to the ground and rolled over a couple of times before he halted. He sat upright and massaged his sore neck. His eyes never left the vampire. He was cautious for another attack, but he knew deep inside that he could do nothing against it.

"You know the Leader?" Hikaru dared to ask and he flinched slightly as the vampire's gaze shifted to him.

"He's the one who locked me up," Tsurugi explained indifferently. "He set up a trap for me. I fought his men several days, but they wounded me in the end and locked me up before I could do anything."

"Why did he lock you up then?" Shinsuke asked. "What does he want from you?"

"That's obvious, Shorty. That bastard wanted my power, of course."

"Your... power?"

"Don't you know anything?" Tsurugi growled as he took a threatening step forward. His eyes glowed furiously and Kirino needed all his willpower to stay standing. Tsurugi heaved an exaggerated sigh and explained slowly and sarcastically, as if he was talking to a little child. "That bastard turned me into that stupid little figurine so I could charge up his pretty little necklace with my power, got it?"

"Is that even possible?" Kirino muttered to himself, but Tsurugi heard it.

"Of course it is, fish boy. I'm betting he did the same to you." Kirino dug into his memory. _Did that really happen? All I remember is that I had a lot of pain during that time, but..._

Shindou was thinking deeply as well and, while still rubbing his throat, he spoke up. "And the Leader... He can just use your speed and strength with that necklace? How is that possible?"

"How should I know? I don't care at all about that," Tsurugi said.

But Shindou didn't even listen anymore. The words of his friend, who died in his arms three months ago, replayed in his head. _"When I was a few miles away, I relaxed a bit, because I thought I had escaped. But suddenly, something grabbed my arm and everything got blurry. Just a few seconds later, I was in the Leader's tent. It was crazy, I don't know how I got there so fast."_ Could it... Could it be because the Leader had used Tsurugi's powers? He had to know.

"How... How long have you been in that thing?" he asked.

"Too long," the vampire growled. "At least a few months, but it's hard to measure the time. All I know is that I haven't properly drunk in a long time, which is why I am nearly dying with thirst at the moment. So you better give me a very, very good reason why I shouldn't just kill you here and now and drain you dry."

Those words caused the three juniors that were still standing to take a step back. Kirino was the only one who stood firmly and didn't advert his eyes. That was why he saw small victorious smile on the vampire's lips. He realized that Tsurugi enjoyed making them scared before feeding of them and decided that he wouldn't give in. _Tsurugi has some unfinished business with the Leader as well, huh? Maybe we could use that._

He took a step forward and was pleased to see the little glint of surprise in the vampires eyes. The latter obviously didn't expect his prey to get closer. "Because we," Kirino said and he empathized every word, "are going to stop the Leader." All eyes were on him right now. This wasn't something they had consulted, he only thought of it just now. But he meant what he said. He wanted to get back at the Leader for all the pain that man had caused. He had tortured Kirino, he had killed Akane...

Tsurugi squinted his blood-red eyes, searching the former merman's face for a trace of a joke. But there was none. Kirino was as serious as he could be. "Well, I wish you good luck with that," Tsurugi said before he turned around and walked away.

"Wait, you can help us!" Kirino called out after him and Tsurugi stopped in his tracks. He didn't turn around though. "Your speed and power are amazing, they would be a great asset, you know," Kirino continued. Tsurugi let out a small snigger.

"A great asset, you say? Hah, without my speed and strength, you wouldn't stand a chance against that man."

Kirino bit his tongue to keep himself from a snappy reply. Although Tsurugi was arrogant to no end, he was right. They really did need his power to get back at the Leader. "So, are you in?" he asked.

"I don't think so."

"W-what? But you-"

"...have a grudge against that man too? Yeah, that's why I don't want to waste my time with relying on pathetic little humans like you. If I feel like getting back at him, I'll gather a few worthy vampires to finish the job. But right now, I have more important matters to attend to. My next meal, for example."

"But we fre-" Shinsuke tried to speak up but Tsurugi interrupted him.

"But you freed me from that stone? Get your act together, you already used that one. Remember? It's why I am still thirsty at the moment!" With those words, Tsurugi lifted his foot to walk away. Kirino had the urge to call him back, but what could he say? They had already used their trump card. What else could that vampire want? The answer came from a surprising angle and the words caused Tsurugi to freeze with his foot still in mid-air.

"You can drink from me."

All eyes turned to Tenma, who was tiredly leaning against the tree. His face was pale and his breathing slightly faster, but his metallic blue eyes were clear. His hands held the tree and the ground and Kirino suspected that it was to keep himself from falling. Tenma seemed so close to collapsing... Only his strong will kept him awake and upright.

Then Tenma's words finally got through.

Shindou was just a split second faster than Kirino. "Tenma, are you insane?!" Tenma completely ignored his captain and kept his eyes locked with Tsurugi's. The vampire's eyes were slightly dilated in surprise.

"I-I'll let you drink from me again," he said slowly, "if you help us out." Before anyone could object to Tenma's proposal, Tsurugi let out a hoarse laugh. He didn't make any effort to muffle the sound as he took slow, confident steps towards the sitting brunette.

"Let me tell you how this works," he smiled while crouching down until he was at the same height as Tenma. The latter gulped loudly, but didn't look away from those captivating red eyes. The smile, the pale face, the eyes... Everything about the vampire emitted danger as he extended his hand and grabbed Tenma's chin to pull the boy closer to his face. He stood up and lifted Tenma up in the process until the brunette's feet were a few inches above the ground. "First of all, you don't _let_ me drink from you. If I want to drink your blood, I'll drink it, whether I have your consent or not. Secondly," he stated and his smile changed into a scowl. "Don't think so high and mighty of yourself, your blood wasn't that good. Why would I go through all the trouble to get your consent to drink from you, when there are other humans just a few miles away?"

With that, he released his grip on Tenma and the boy fell to the ground, since his legs were still too weak to carry him. Tsurugi on the other hand bent through his knees and pushed himself off for a big leap. While still in the air, he performed a backflip and landed neatly on a thick branch. A thick branch that was forty feet high, in a tree that was twenty-five feet away from where he jumped. The humans could barely see him in the little light that the fire behind them provided.

He smirked and his white teeth and fangs flickered a bit. "Don't try to get killed too soon. I might want another drink in the future..." His smirk widened even further, if that was possible. "...Tenma-kun."

Then he was gone. It was like he had just disappeared into thin air, but they knew he had run off with his amazing speed. They all hurried to Tenma, who still laid on his back and groaned.

"Tenma, what on earth got into you?!" Shindou asked sternly. "Offering him to drink from you, even when you're like this..."

"I'm sorry, Captain," Tenma replied weakly. His eyes were half closed and his face was deadly pale. "I just knew we needed his strength and it seemed like the only way... I'm sorry I couldn't convince him..."

"Don't worry about that," Shinsuke pouted. "You shouldn't put yourself in danger like that."

"I'm sorry... Did I make you worry?"

"Your wound needs to be treated quickly, before you lose even more blood," Kariya muttered when he saw a thin red stream in Tenma's neck. Hikaru nodded and together, they carried Tenma closer to the fire, where Hikaru started to bandage the other boy up. Tenma was already sleeping soundly before Hikaru was finished.

The others sat down at the fire for a consult. "So, are we really going to stop the Leader?" Hikaru asked and he quickly scanned his surroundings.

Kirino hesitated a little, but then he nodded. "We have to. That man is pure evil. I mean, look at what he did to Tsurugi, to me, to..." he cut himself off just in time, for he realized that Shindou sat right next to him. "Anyways, we have to do something about him!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, though they were all a bit reluctant. Kirino could clearly see why, the Leader wasn't someone to joke with. He sighed and bent closer to them. "Look, I decided this on my own without asking you to join me. I completely understand if you don't want to help me out."

It remained silent. No one immediately jumped up to say that they would do this together, much to Kirino's disappointment. However, no one stepped out either, so he supposed that was a good thing.

"But Kirino-san..." Shinsuke started. "Do you really believe that the Leader can take someone's power? And if he really has that inhumane speed and power, how are we ever going to stop him?"

"I don't know," Kirino admitted. "When he captured me, he used that necklace on me. It felt like a piece of my soul was torn... I don't think Tsurugi was lying about taking one's powers."

"I saw the necklace a few times," Shindou muttered. His eyes stood glassy, but that disappeared when he looked up. "It has five pendants. The last time I saw it, there were three colourless, one pink and one dark purple. Assuming that the Leader can really take one's power, I think the pink pendant holds your power and the purple pendant holds Tsurugi's." He unconsciously rubbed his painful neck again, but no one except Kirino seemed to notice it.

"That also means that there are probably three more people in danger!" Shinsuke exclaimed shocked.

"That's why I want to stop him before he hurts anyone else," Kirino said. "This may not be my home and these people might not be my subjects, but I still feel responsible for them."

They stared at him for a while, until he got uncomfortable. "What?"

"Was it true what you said? About you being the mermaid prince?" Kariya asked.

"Mer_folk_ prince, thank you very much," Kirino said. "And yes, that's true. Didn't I tell you that?"

"It's the first time I heard it," Shinsuke muttered.

"Oh, well... Sorry then, I must've forgotten it," Kirino said awkwardly. He cleared his throat at the stares he got. "A-anyways, let's sleep. I'm dead tired from everything that happened today." Everyone nodded and stood up.

"I'll take the first watch," Shindou muttered as he stood up. Kirino prevented him by grabbed his hand and pulling him back down.

"Can you please show me your neck?" he asked.

"Kirino..."

"Show it to me."

Shindou sighed and obeyed. He pulled his collar down and Kirino gasped at the sight of the purple bruise. "It's nothing, really," Shindou muttered without looking him in the eye.

"You should rest a little, you're pushing yourself way too far. I'll take the first watch, so you can go to sleep."

"No, I can see you're tired as well. It's my fault for forcing that crazy march on you today. As you said before, as a captain, I should look after you so-"

Kirino cut him off by grabbing his shoulder. He flashed the brunette a reassuring smile. "Don't forget to look after yourself as well, Captain. It was the hardest for you today, so you shouldn't push yourself. We understand it and we're right behind you."

Shindou looked at the ground and his shoulders started to shake after a few seconds. Kirino only realized that the other was crying when he felt a tear on his leg. He placed his arms around Shindou and rubbed his back. "It's just that every time I look at you guys... It's like you're opposite me," the latter quietly sobbed. For the second time this evening, he cried all his feelings out. Kirino just smiled and tightened the embrace slightly. Both he and Shindou were too tired to realize how close they were and to be ashamed of it.

"We're not opposite you, Shindou. We are all behind you. You're just looking in the wrong direction."

They stayed that way for a little while and at some point, Kirino noticed that Shindou had fallen asleep. Carefully, because he didn't want to wake the other boy up, Kirino tried to get out of Shindou's embrace. The latter wouldn't let him, though, not even when Kirino tried to pull the arms away. There was no other way to put it: he was stuck. After a few more attempts, he heard someone snigger behind him.

When he turned around, careful not to wake Shindou up, he found Shinsuke, Kariya and Hikaru behind him. They all had smug smiles on their faces as they watched the scene. Kirino's cheeks heated up for no particular reason. "Don't just stand there, please help me out of here. I have to take the first watch, remember?"

"Don't bother, Kirino-san," Shinsuke smiled. "I'll take the first watch, Kariya takes the second and Hikaru the third."

"So you can spend all night snuggling with our captain," Hikaru teased.

The blush on Kirino's cheeks darkened tenfold and he was really glad that it was night, for no one would see it. "Th-that's not i-it," he stuttered. Shinsuke giggled in response and Kirino tried once again to get out of Shindou's grasp.

"Easy, you don't want to wake him up now do you?" Kariya smirked. His words successfully stopped Kirino's attempt. He glanced down at his lap and smiled slightly at the sight of Shindou's sleeping face. For the first time today, the brunette seemed really at peace.

"No," he whispered. "I don't want to wake him up."

"Then, good night to the both of you, Your Highness~" Kariya teased and he chuckled when Kirino hastily turned around to send him a glare.

"Get out," the former merman said angrily. The three boys only sniggered to this though and casually walked away. _Those guys,_ Kirino thought as he turned his blushing face back to Shindou. Before he realized what he did, he stroke the other's soft hair. He shifted gently to find a more comfortable position and soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Me: Aww, you're so sweet Kirino :3**

**Kirino: *blush***

**Me: Oh yeah, as for the part with Tsurugi: just imagine him to talk like he did in the first episode of GO, okay? Actually, I added that last 'Tenma-kun' because it was like that in the anime when he challenged Tenma to save the soccer club and IT WAS SOOO SEXY! O.O Ahehe, sorry for that. Anyways, just imagine him to say it in his own, sexy way, okay?**

**Tenma: Please leave a review!**


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